discord and dragons
by splendidlyimperfect
Summary: When a magical mishap transforms Natsu, Sting and Rogue, Gray finds himself responsible for a horde of dragons.
1. a magical mishap

It had started, like most accidents, with Natsu being an idiot.

"What's the worst that could happen?" he'd asked, grinning at Gray and bouncing on the balls of his feet. They were standing out in a field near Gray's house, down by the river, far enough away from the town that nobody would get hurt too badly even if it all went wrong.

Which it probably would.

"You could explode," Gray suggested, crossing his arms over his chest and staring Natsu down. "Or implode." Freed, who was standing nearby and studying a magic scroll intently, snorted.

"We're not going to implode," Natsu grumbled, looking to Sting and Rogue for support. Rogue just rolled his eyes, but Sting grinned at Natsu from his spot where he was reading over Freed's shoulder.

Gray sighed. Part of him wanted to call this off. A mysterious scroll from a curio shoppe owner who'd been paying them for their latest quest wasn't exactly something that screamed 'safe.' But the look of childish excitement on Natsu's face was enough to hold him back from saying anything. For now. Gray also trusted Freed, who had gone over the spell several times and hadn't found anything that was likely to go totally awry.

"Not seriously, anyway," Freed had said. "At worst they'd probably just end up with sharper teeth. Or tails, maybe."

The idea of Natsu bouncing around the apartment with a tail was already giving Gray a headache.

"C'mon, Snowflake," Natsu teased, bumping Gray's shoulder with his. "You're just jealous that you don't get dragon powers."

"You already have dragon powers," Gray insisted, ignoring the jab. He refused to admit that the spell did sound intriguing – some sort of dragon magic amplifier that might help the Slayers unlock a new well of power.

"We could try it on you," Natsu said, expression turning thoughtful. "I mean, you are a Slayer. Not a Dragon Slayer, but sti—"

"No way," Gray said, shaking his head. "I can kick your ass without sharp teeth or a tail."

Natsu snorted, bumping Gray again, who pushed him away and turned to Rogue. "I still can't believe you're going along with this."

Rogue shrugged. "You try to say no to that," he said, pointing at Sting, who was grinning and poking at the scroll. Gray nodded; Rogue had a point. Sting's enthusiasm was equal to – if not more – contagious than Natsu's.

"All right," Freed said, running their finger down the scroll one more time and looking up at Natsu. "It seems straightforward enough. But I accept no responsibility if this goes wrong. Or if Erza decides to get angry about it later."

Gray saw a flicker of hesitation cross Natsu's face, but it was gone almost before it appeared. The grin resurfaced and Natsu raised his eyebrows at Sting and Rogue. "You guys ready to be dragons?"

"You're not going to be dragons," Gray insisted, but nobody was listening, so he sighed and stepped back behind Freed.

"All right," Freed said, scrawling a few runes in the air as they walked in a circle around the three Dragon Slayers. "Don't step out of this protection circle until I'm done the spell." Freed gave Natsu a stern look, and Natsu pouted. Before Natsu could argue, Freed stepped back and started reading from the scroll.

As soon as Freed started speaking, a bright, electric energy began to crackle around Natsu, Sting and Gray. The grass around them whipped back and forth in a wind that seemed contained to the protection circle, and all three of them scrunched their noses up at the same time, as if they had smelled something unpleasant.

The sparks of light grew larger and jumped between the Dragon Slayers as Freed kept reading. Eventually the grass began to tear out of the ground, ripping up clumps of dirt to swirl around and fill the circle and obscuring the three of them in a cloud of black and white.

A roaring sound began to build in the field and Gray winced, covering his ears as pressure began to build around him. It rose quickly, culminating in a sound like a thunderclap, and then the windstorm disappeared.

Natsu, Sting and Rogue were gone.

A flash of panic filled Gray's chest and he quickly looked around the field and then back to the containment circle. When the runes disappeared, movement caught Gray's eye and he frowned.

It took him several seconds to realize what he was looking at, and he immediately burst out laughing.

"Oh my god," he whispered, stepping forward and crouching down. "I am never going to let any of you live this down."

Three baby dragons sat in the center of the circle, all looking mildly dazed. The red one was obviously Natsu – he looked a bit like a tiny version of Igneel, but rounder and more wide-eyed. Sting, who was much fluffier than Gray would have expected a dragon to be, lay on his back, tiny feet kicked up in the air, staring up at the sky in bewilderment. Rogue had already managed to get his bearings and was sitting on his haunches, head cocked to the side as he stared at Gray with bright red eyes.

"Rogue?" Gray asked, reaching out tentatively to the tiny dragon. He was barely bigger than Gray's hand, which he sniffed at uncertainly. His tail flicked back and forth a few times and then he headbutted Gray's fingers, apparently satisfied with his inspection.

"Holy shit, you're adorable," Gray murmured as Rogue stood up on his hind legs and put both front paws on Gray's hand. He rubbed his face against Gray's thumb, then climbed up into the palm of Gray's hand and sat there, staring at him curiously.

"Well, that's… unexpected," Freed said, crouching down next to Gray. Sting, who had finally rolled over, shook his head and let out a tiny sneeze. The force of it knocked him backward again, which caught Natsu's attention, and Natsu immediately pounced on him, pinning him to the ground. Sting growled at him, nipping at Natsu's neck before kicking him with his hind feet and rolling over until he was on top.

"Of course they're already fighting," Gray said, rolling his eyes as he brought Rogue closer to his chest. Rogue took the opportunity to quickly clamber up Gray's arm and sit onto his shoulder instead, wobbling uncertainly before digging tiny claws into the fabric of Gray's shirt. Gray winced at the sharp pinpricks of pain, but Rogue settled and rubbed his head against Gray's cheek.

"Knock it off, you two," Gray said to Natsu and Sting as he petted the top of Rogue's head with one finger. He reached out and grabbed Sting by the scruff of the neck, lifting him up to eye level and giving him a reprimanding look. Sting's hind legs curled up to his stomach and he made an indignant squeaking noise. "Yes, you," Gray said, laughing.

Freed reached out for Natsu, who scrambled to his feet and immediately nipped at Freed's fingers. Before Gray could chastise him, Freed scooped up Natsu and put a finger under his chin so he couldn't bite.

"They don't seem to be able to understand us," Freed said, studying Natsu curiously. Natsu growled at him and Freed laughed. "I guess you got your wish," they said to Natsu. "You're definitely a dragon."

Gray pushed himself to his feet, tucking Sting into the crook of his arm and scratching the top of his head to appease the mildly irritated sounds he was making. Sting immediately relaxed and the squeaks turned to a quiet, near-purring noise.

"They're tiny," Gray commented as Rogue shifted on his shoulder and nuzzled his cheek. "Are baby dragons really this small?"

"I'm not sure," Freed said, keeping a firm finger under Natsu's chin as they accepted Gray's hand to help them stand. "We don't really know anything about dragons – I don't think anyone alive has ever seen a young one." Natsu swiped a paw out at Sting as soon as he got close. Gray flicked him on the nose and frowned at him.

"Stop that," he said as Sting growled at Natsu, then cuddled closer to Gray's chest. "You're a pain in the ass no matter how big you are." Natsu rubbed a paw over his nose and managed to look indignant. "Oh, don't give me that look," Gray said. Then he looked up at Freed.

"So… how long do you think it'll last?" It suddenly struck Gray that the transformation might be permanent, and immediately the panic was back. Freed shook their head, pulling the scroll out of their jacket pocket and unfurling it with one hand. Natsu looked at it curiously, trying to bat it with his paw. Freed nudged him away, then looked down at their jacket.

"Here," they said, tucking Natsu into the chest pocket. Natsu's eyes widened and he scrambled for purchase, eventually ending up with both paws over the edge of the pocket and his head resting between them. The tip of his tail poked out as well, flicking back and forth as he snuffled uncertainly.

Gray felt a pang of affection rise in his chest, and he reached out carefully to Natsu. Natsu looked at him warily but didn't bite, instead sniffing his finger as Rogue had and eventually bumping it with his head.

Sting squirmed in Gray's arm, whining and rubbing his head against Gray's chest. Gray looked down at him and chuckled. "You're jealous, aren't you?" he asked, but when he tried to take his hand away from Natsu to pet Sting instead, Natsu growled and latched onto his finger with both paws.

"Dragons are very possessive," Freed commented, still scanning the spell. "They might not understand what we're saying, but they know that you're important to them."

Gray's cheeks flushed with heat and he looked down at his feet. The four of them had only been dating for a few weeks – it had been a bit of an accident, really. They'd been sent together on a quest to the mountains that had ended up being a trap for Gray's Devil Slayer magic, and when the fighting was said and done, they had all realized that the bond they'd formed was stronger than just guild mates, or even friends. It was something more – more intense, more fulfilling, more loving.

Nobody knew yet, though.

Nobody except Freed, apparently.

"Oh," Gray said, and Freed glanced up at him, eyebrows raised.

"Laxus told me," Freed said after a moment. "Something about scents."

Gray groaned, glaring down at Natsu. "You're all ridiculous," he muttered. "Smelling people is creepy." Natsu sniffed at his hand again and he rolled his eyes while Freed hummed in agreement.

"It takes getting used to," Freed said, rolling the spell back up and tucking it into their coat. Freed and Laxus had been together for several years now, but they were both private about their relationship. "The possessiveness can get irritating, although being human probably makes it easier to curb that instinct. These three… well, right now instinct is all they have."

Natsu nuzzled at Gray's thumb and wriggled in Freed's pocket, eventually pushing himself far enough out that he could scramble into Gray's palm. Then he took Rogue's cue and made his way up to Gray's other shoulder, making a happy chittering sound as he nipped Gray's ear.

"That hurts, you little bastard," Gray grumbled, swatting at Natsu half-heartedly. He looked back at Freed. "Seriously, how long is this going to last?"

Freed shrugged. "It's not permanent," they reassured Gray, "but I have no idea how long the effects will take to wear off. I can do some research back at the Guild, but for now…" Gray could tell Freed was trying to hide a smile. "For now, you're stuck with them."


	2. friends and foes

The walk back to the guild – which was half an hour away – ended up taking over an hour. Sting was content to be carried, quickly taking Rogue's place on Gray's shoulder when Rogue flapped awkwardly down to the ground to chase a bird. Natsu immediately pounced on Rogue, and the two of them started up some sort of game that involved lots of dashing across the road and swiping at each other's tails.

"They don't seem to be able to fly," Gray commented, reaching up and scratching the top of Sting's head. "At least, not very well." Sting yawned, showing off his sharp teeth before headbutting Gray's hand and settling comfortably against his neck.

"Their wings might not be completely developed yet," Freed said. "That's probably a good thing for you." Gray snorted. "I still don't understand why the spell did this," Freed continued, absently patting the scroll in their pocket. "It was just supposed to be a… power boost of sorts. Like Wendy's magic."

"Would finding out who made the scroll help?" Gray asked, keeping a careful eye on Natsu and Rogue as they chased each other through the low bushes on either side of the path.

"Maybe," Freed replied. "I'll get Levy to help me once we're back at the guild. She's better at deconstructing magic than I am."

Gray didn't believe that for a second. Levy was talented but Freed constantly underestimated themself.

"You'll figure it out," Gray said, trying not to let the tiny thread of anxiety – what if this was permanent? – creep into his voice. "And when they turn back," he added, "they're never going to hear the end of this."

* * *

By the time they got into the city, Rogue and Natsu had exhausted themselves and returned to Gray, standing up on their hind feet and pawing at his legs until he picked them both up. Sting was already fast asleep on Gray's shoulder and Natsu followed suit, curled in the crook of Gray's arm. Rogue let Freed carry him for the last few blocks, but as soon as they walked into the noisy guild hall, he scrambled back onto Gray's other shoulder.

"I'm going to go find Levy," Freed said, squeezing Gray's arm. Gray nodded absently, suddenly aware of both how ridiculous he looked holding three baby dragons, and how unsafe the guild was for them. Nobody was fighting – at the moment – but it would only take one misstep to seriously injure something so small.

"Gray!" Lucy waved at him from the table she shared with Erza at the back of the guild. Gray nodded at her, carefully making his way through the crowd toward them.

"I thought you were with the Dragon Slayers," Lucy said as Gray approached.

"I am," Gray said wryly, shifting Natsu in his arm and setting him down on the table. Natsu grumbled sleepily, rubbing both paws across his face before yawning and opening his eyes.

"Oh my god," Lucy breathed, eyes widening as she studied Natsu. "That's not…"

"Remember that scroll we got from our last job?" Gray said, sitting down beside Erza. Rogue slowly clambered down from Gray's shoulder, sitting in his lap and putting his paws up on the table.

"I thought he was joking when he said it would turn them into dragons," Lucy said, reaching out tentatively to Natsu. "This isn't exactly what I was picturing." Natsu sniffed at her hand, immediately perking up and making a happy chittering sound.

"I don't think it's what they were expecting either," Gray said, laughing as Sting began to stretch and nearly fell off his shoulder. Erza caught Sting as he tumbled toward her, holding him awkwardly in both hands as he blinked awake.

"They're adorable," Lucy said as Natsu made his way across the table to her, rubbing his head against her outstretched fingers. Then she looked up at Gray, eyes wide with worry. "Is it permanent?"

Gray gave her an uncertain look. "I hope not," he said. "Freed's trying to figure out how to reverse it, but for now…"

Sting squirmed in Erza's hands until he was sitting up and staring at her. Then he turned his head toward Gray and made a strange clicking sound.

"She's our friend," Gray reassured him, reaching out and petting his head. "You're fine." Sting clicked at him again, then turned in Erza's hand and hopped down onto the table. He was about to pounce on Natsu's tail when he noticed the empty plate next to Erza and sniffed at it curiously.

"Is cake safe for dragons?" Erza mused as Sting batted tentatively at a few leftover crumbs. Gray was about to answer when someone appeared at the table.

"What'd that idiot get himself into this time?" It was Gajeel, who was staring down at Natsu with a grin on his face. "Don't look so fierce now, huh, Salamander?"

Natsu, who had been cuddled up against Lucy, scrambled back and hissed at Gajeel, baring his teeth. Gajeel burst into a rumbling laugh, shaking his head at the display.

"Leave him alone, Gajeel," Lucy said, rolling her eyes and reaching out for Natsu again. He ignored her, keeping a wary eye on Gajeel and backing closer to Sting, who was still licking crumbs off Erza's plate.

"I ain't doin' anything," Gajeel insisted, raising both hands in surrender. Natsu growled at him, shaking his wings out until they stretched as far as they could. His tail whipped back and forth, hitting Sting, who squeaked and turned around to see what was going on.

"You can't fight him, don't be ridiculous," Gray said to Natsu, shaking his head. "Do you even realize how small you are?"

Gajeel snorted, but it quickly turned into a yelp of pain and he jumped back from the table, cursing and looking down at the ground. Rogue, who had wriggled out of Gray's lap at some point, sat at the foot of the table looking very pleased with himself.

"He bit me," Gajeel grumbled, looking down at the two small spots of blood on his ankle. "Little shit."

Natsu and Sting scrambled over to the edge of the table, tails flicking back and forth as they gauged the jump. When Natsu turned back to Gray with wide eyes, Gray sighed, picking both of them up and setting them on the floor next to Rogue. All three of them immediately started up a loud, chirping noise that was directed at Gajeel.

"I think they're laughing at you," Gray said to Gajeel, raising an eyebrow and leaning back in his seat. Gajeel glared at the three of them, but they had already lost interest in the altercation and were grappling with each other instead.

After that, the rest of the guild took notice of the dragons and made their way over to the table in small groups, alternately laughing at the Dragon Slayer's predicament and exclaiming how cute they were. Rogue tired of the attention quickly and clambered back up onto Gray's lap, but Natsu and Sting reveled in it, eagerly accepting pets and head scratches.

* * *

It was nearly two hours later when Freed finally reappeared, carrying a large stack of books. Nearly everyone had headed home for the day and Gray sat alone at the table, dragging a piece of string across the table while Sting batted at it.

"Any luck?" Gray asked, setting the string aside and nudging Sting out of the way so Freed could set the books down on the table. Sting made a disgruntled sound, then clambered up the book tower and sat on top of it, looking at Freed with wide eyes.

Freed shook their head. "Nothing yet," they said, holding out their hand for Sting to sniff. Sting nudged Freed's fingers, making a contented sound when Freed began to scratch his head. "Levy's still working on the scroll. There should be a way to reverse it – or at least identify what kind of magic created it – but it's going to take a few days."

"Looks like you're stuck babysitting until they figure it out," Laxus said, appearing behind Freed and raising his eyebrows at Gray. Sting immediately backed away from Freed's hand and hopped down the book tower, scrambling toward the back edge of the table. Laxus frowned. "What's his problem?"

"You're big and scary," Freed said, laughing. Before Laxus could reply, Rogue jumped up from Gray's lap, moving toward Sting and growling at Laxus as he ruffled out his wings.

"Really?" Gray sighed. "You're the size of Laxus' hand." He rolled his eyes, reaching out for Rogue, who slipped away and sat down next to Sting. They both stared at Laxus, tails rapidly flicking back and forth over the edge of the table. The fur around Sting's neck puffed out as he hissed, flexing his claws against the wood.

"They didn't like Gajeel, either," Gray commented, frowning at the pair. "Maybe it's something about other Dragon Slayers?"

"They don't particularly like Gajeel when they're human," Freed argued. "Well, Rogue does. Sometimes."

"And if anyone was going to try to fight Laxus it would be Natsu," Gray said. Then he frowned. "Where is he, anyway?"

"Down here," Laxus replied, looking at the ground. Gray leaned over to see Natsu sitting behind one of the legs of the table, staring at Rogue and Sting's tails as they flicked back and forth. Every time one came close to him, he batted at it. Laxus nudged Natsu with his foot and Natsu immediately turned and grappled his shoe, biting down on the end of it.

"Idiot," Laxus muttered, wriggling his shoe as Natsu gnawed on it. Then he turned back to Sting and Rogue, who were still watching him cautiously. Laxus sighed, crouching down next to the table and nudging Natsu away. "C'mere," he said, holding out his hand to Sting and Rogue. "I'm not gonna hurt you."

Rogue approached hesitantly; wings spread wide as he sniffed at Laxus' fingers. He growled again, but was quickly distracted by Natsu, who had clambered back up Gray's leg and onto the table next to him. Natsu gave Laxus a cursory glance, then swiped at Rogue's tail, making a playful sound and scrambling backward as Rogue swatted him.

"C'mon, it's okay." Laxus' voice was soft, and Gray looked up to see Sting approaching his outstretched hand slowly, ears flat back against his head. When he finally touched his nose to Laxus' fingers, a tiny spark jumped between them, and the fur around Sting's neck immediately poofed out, crackling with static electricity.

Sting squeaked in surprise, rubbing his nose with a paw and shaking his head. He looked more indignant than hurt, though, and quickly moved forward again to nip the end of Laxus' finger in retaliation. Laxus just laughed, leaving his hand palm-up on the table for Sting to glare at suspiciously as he started to groom his fur back into place.

"You think they're cute," Freed teased, running their fingers through Laxus' hair. Laxus huffed but didn't disagree, pushing himself up and kissing Freed's forehead.

A soft pressure on Gray's forearm distracted him from Laxus and Freed, and he looked down to see Natsu kneading the sleeve of his shirt while looking up at him. "You're probably hungry," Gray said, scratching behind Natsu's ear. Natsu chirped happily at him. "I guess we should head home, huh?"

At the word home, all three dragons scrambled over to Gray – Rogue and Natsu clambering up onto his shoulders and Sting standing on his hind legs with his front paws pressed against Gray's chest. Gray laughed, picking up Sting and standing from the table.

"Let me know how it goes," he said to Freed, tapping the stack of books. The anxiety from earlier had receded – having the three of them close to him filled him with a soft sense of contentment.

"I will," Freed said. "I'll come by tomorrow and let you know if we find anything."

Gray nodded, then looked down at Sting. "All right," he said, wincing as he thought about tiny claws on his carpet and furniture. "Let's go home and get you guys something to eat."


	3. chaotic cute

When they got back to Gray's house, all three of the dragons hopped down from where they'd been clinging to him and immediately scattered.

"Don't chew on anything!" Gray shouted as he kicked off his shoes, following Sting, who had headed for the bedroom. Sting immediately tried to clamber up the side of the bed, looking over at Gray for help when he couldn't quite make it.

"C'mere, you," Gray said, scooping up Sting and closing the door behind him as he left the room. "I'm keeping you all where I can see you."

He chased Rogue out of the bathroom where he had been attempting to climb into the tub, then made sure all the doors in the house were closed before making his way into the kitchen. Natsu was sniffing curiously at the pantry and Gray rolled his eyes, nudging Natsu out of the way with his foot. "Out," he said, ignoring Natsu's disgruntled sounds of protest. "Don't give me that look, I'm gonna make you supper."

Gray was halfway through getting dinner ready when he heard the sounds of ripping fabric. He leaned back and looked around the corner to see Natsu on his back with his claws in the couch, kicking at it with his hind feet. "Natsu, knock it off!" Gray shouted, grabbing a balled-up sock from the laundry basket on the kitchen table and tossing it in the tiny red dragon's direction. It hit Natsu in the head and he yelped at it in surprise, but it had the desired effect of stopping him from scratching at the couch. He rolled onto his back and trapped the sock in all four paws, chewing on it and kicking it as he growled. Satisfied that Natsu was suitably distracted, Gray turned back to the kitchen.

Sting had clambered up one of the chairs and was sitting on the counter, staring curiously at the food Gray was cutting up. He stuck a paw out to grab some and Gray batted him away. "Get out of here," he grumbled, picking Sting up by the scruff and setting him back on the floor despite his high-pitched protests. "You're cute, but I'm not done cooking. Go play with Natsu."

Sting sat down stubbornly on his haunches and looked up at Gray with wide, sad eyes, then pawed at his foot. "Stop that," Gray said, but Sting made a soft, mewing noise and Gray sighed. He grabbed one of the pieces of raw chicken from the counter and gave it to Sting, who grabbed it eagerly with his teeth and shook it vigorously before gulping it down. "Now, shoo," Gray said.

Sting sniffed Gray's fingers, then licked them and headbutted his hand. Gray laughed, scratching under Sting's chin. "You can eat in a bit," he said, standing up and giving Sting a gentle nudge with his foot. Sting gave him one last pathetic look, then scrambled off into the living room to knock the sock out of Natsu's paws.

Gray shook his head, turning back to the counter and coming face to face with a startled, guilty-looking Rogue. He was sitting on his hind legs in the spot Sting had occupied on the counter, a piece of raw chicken in his teeth, and he eyed Gray warily without moving.

"You, too?" Gray asked, eyebrow raised. He tried to grab Rogue, who ducked away from his hand and leaped down from the counter, landing on all four feet and scurrying off into the living room. "I expected better from you!" Gray called after him, then sighed and turned back to the sink to wash his hands.

He was almost done putting everything into the pan on the stove when there was a crash in the living room, followed by a squeak and a loud whine.

"Natsu!" he growled, flicking off the burner and heading into the living room. Rogue was sitting on the living room table, looking as innocent as possible as he groomed one of his wings. The lamp next to the couch was lying on the floor, and Natsu was pinned underneath it, whining pitifully and gnawing at the cord.

"You little shit," Gray muttered, reaching down and grabbing Natsu by the scruff of the neck before lifting the lamp off him. "You're gonna electrocute yourself, and Laxus would never let you live that down." Natsu squeaked, but when Gray held him up at eye-level to inspect for any injuries, he didn't try to bite.

"Are you sorry?" Gray asked. Natsu cocked his head to the side, then rubbed it up against Gray's thumb. "Don't you dare," Gray said, trying to keep himself from laughing. "You're a menace."

Satisfied that Natsu was uninjured, Gray held him against his chest, then turned back to the kitchen. He caught a flash of white, and then there was a loud _clang_ as the pan from the stove tumbled to the floor.

"Sting!" Gray shouted, storming around the corner just as Sting's tail disappeared under the kitchen table. The pan lay upside-down on the floor, and Gray didn't have to look under it to know that it was empty. "I swear to God…" He glared down at Natsu, who was kneading his claws into Gray's sweater. "You planned this, didn't you?" Natsu looked up at Gray and blinked. "Don't try to play innocent."

Keeping a firm grip on Natsu, Gray crouched down to look under the table. Sting's fluffy tail was peeking out from behind one of the legs and Gray reached out, quickly grabbing Sting before he could run away.

"You two are going in time out," Gray said, tucking both dragons under one arm. He grabbed the laundry basket and dumped its contents on the table, then headed back into the living room. Rogue, who was still grooming himself on the coffee table, watched with mild disinterest as Gray sat both Sting and Natsu down, then turned the laundry basket upside down and quickly dropped it on top of them.

"Now stay there," he said firmly as he set down a stack of books on the hamper. They both whined at him, immediately starting to chew on the plastic, but it seemed like their teeth were too small to do any serious damage. "Just let me cook dinner in peace and I'll let you out when I'm done."

Rogue gave them both a haughty look from his perch on the coffee table and Gray looked at him suspiciously. "If I didn't think all three of you could tip this thing over," he said, scooping up Rogue, "you'd be in there, too." Rogue made a sound that was somehow indignant, and Gray rolled his eyes, bringing Rogue with him into the kitchen. "You're staying where I can see you."

* * *

As it turned out, all three of the dragons preferred raw meat to the meal Gray had cooked. Gray rolled his eyes as Natsu sniffed a piece of eggplant and made a face, batting it away before turning to Sting and attempting to swipe a piece of chicken from his paws.

Sting growled, and when Natsu tried it again, Sting hissed at him, scrambling backward as the fur around his neck puffed out. Natsu's ears flicked back against his head and he looked down at the floor as Sting hopped up onto the coffee table, gulping down the chicken and then searching for more.

"Well it's not like I know what dragons are supposed to eat," Gray said as he scooped up the dejected Natsu. "I guess raw meat makes sense." Natsu made a plaintive sound, immediately perking up when Gray headed back into the kitchen and opened the fridge. He tightened his grip on Natsu, who attempted to scramble out of his arms and into the fridge, then grabbed another raw chicken breast and set it on the counter.

"This is all the meat I have," he said, setting Natsu down next to the cutting board and grabbing a sharp knife. "We'll have to go to the store tomorrow." Natsu cocked his head and stared at Gray with wide eyes, and Gray laughed as he diced up the chicken into bite-sized pieces.

When all the meat was gone, the three dragons seemed satisfied, all retreating to the corner of the couch where they curled up against each other. Rogue put a paw on Sting's neck, pushing him into the cushion as he began to lick Sting's fur.

"Can you all stay out of trouble for two minutes?" Gray asked. None of them looked up at him and he snuck back into the kitchen to clean up the mess.

When Gray was satisfied that he had dragon-proofed the kitchen, he grabbed the bowl of popcorn he'd made and headed back to the living room. The three of them were still curled up on the couch – Natsu was now sitting on Sting's back and licking the fur around his neck while Rogue nibbled at his wing. Sting stretched his front legs out, kneading the air as he yawned.

"You guys are cute when you're not destroying my house," Gray said, settling onto the couch next to them and grabbing the remote for the lacrima. Sting attempted to wriggle out from under Natsu in favor of sitting on Gray's lap, but Natsu put his paw on the back of Sting's head to hold him in place.

"Be nice," Gray admonished, nudging Natsu off Sting. Natsu grumbled at Gray, gently nipping the end of his finger, then turned and pounced on Rogue, pinning him to the couch and beginning to groom him instead. Sting clambered up into Gray's lap, sniffing curiously at the popcorn bowl before Gray shifted it away from him.

"You're clearly a carnivore," Gray said as he turned on the lacrima screen. "You don't need popcorn." Sting huffed, then turned in several circles, kneading Gray's legs and finally curling up into a tiny ball with his tail over his nose.

Twenty minutes into the show he was watching, Gray felt a tug on the edge of the bowl, and he looked down to see Natsu reaching for a piece of popcorn. Gray shook his head, pushing Natsu away. "You're the one who insisted on eating meat and only meat for dinner," Gray said, raising an eyebrow at the disappointed look on Natsu's face. "If you're not going to eat eggplant, I'm not giving you popcorn."

Natsu nudged Gray's hand, pawing at the bowl again, but Gray lifted it out of his reach. "You ate nearly an entire chicken already," he insisted when Natsu whined at him. "How could you possibly still be hungry?"

Natsu scrambled up onto Gray's lap, nearly dislodging Sting in the process. He leaned heavily on Gray, rubbing his head against Gray's chest as he made a soft, pleading noise. "Stop that," Gray said half-heartedly as Natsu pushed himself further up on his hind legs and headbutted Gray's chin.

The bowl wobbled and Gray looked over to see Rogue attempting to get into it as well. "Get out of here," he admonished, lifting the bowl higher so none of the baby dragons could reach it. They all stared up at him, eyes wide as their tails flicked back and forth. Gray sighed in defeat, bringing the bowl back down.

"Fine," he said, grabbing a piece of popcorn and holding it out to Rogue. "Gently," he cautioned as Rogue took it carefully between his teeth and backed up quickly as if Gray were going to change his mind. The other two gulped down their pieces eagerly, then nudged Gray again for more.

By the time the bowl of popcorn was done, all three dragons were yawning and rubbing their faces. Rogue hopped up on the back of the couch and curled up in a ball, tail hanging down over Gray's shoulder. Sting and Natsu turned in several circles on Gray's lap, kneading the blanket on his lap until they both cuddled up together.

"Well," Gray said to himself, scratching behind Natsu's ears, "I guess I'm sleeping on the couch tonight."


	4. comfort and complications

Gray knew he was dreaming. It was the same as always – blood, fire, and a deep sense of panic that thrummed in his chest. The haze around him was filled with screaming, with broken bones, with smoke that choked his lungs.

He closed his eyes in the dream, but it didn't matter. The images burned through his eyelids anyway, dark and inescapable. Gray clenched his teeth, wishing he could wake himself up from the nightmare. He already knew how it ended.

A sharp pain suddenly shocked his hand and dream-Gray looked down, frowning. His skin looked unbroken, but the sensation sparked through him again – sharp pinpricks along the edge of his index finger.

He looked around – the scene hadn't changed. Then the sting moved to the side of his hand, sharper and more insistent, and he yelped in pain.

Gray's eyes flew open and he pulled his hand to his chest, wincing as he felt tiny drops of blood on his skin. It was dark, and he sat up quickly, realizing he was still on the couch. He fumbled for the lamp on the side table, still trying to catch his breath.

The light filled the room with a warm glow and illuminated the three baby dragons, eyes wide as they stared at Gray. Natsu cocked his head to the side and made a soft chittering sound, then butted his head against Gray's hand in an almost apologetic manner. Gray looked from the pinpricks in his skin to Natsu's sharp teeth and realized that Natsu had nipped him awake.

"Thanks," Gray said softly, running his finger over the top of Natsu's head. Natsu closed his eyes, tail flicking happily behind him as he pushed up against Gray's hand. The tight, anxious feeling in Gray's chest relaxed, and he tipped his head back, staring up at the ceiling.

Natsu came closer, putting his paws on Gray's thigh and rubbing his head against Gray's chest. Gray exhaled, rubbing his face before pushing himself up off the couch.

"C'mon," he said sleepily, reaching out for the three dragons. They quickly clambered into his arms and cuddled up against him as he headed for the bedroom.

As soon as he lay down on the bed, Sting jumped in the middle of Gray's chest, staring at him curiously for a few seconds. Then he turned in several slow circles and settled down with his tail tucked over his nose. Rogue hopped over Sting, nipping his ear playfully on the way, then curled up above Gray's shoulder, resting his head on his paws as his tail flicked slowly back and forth.

Gray tipped his head to the side and pressed a soft kiss to the top of Rogue's head. Rogue made a happy snuffling sound, returning the gesture with a quick lick to Gray's cheek.

Natsu nuzzled Gray's hand, then moved up to his shoulder. He copied Sting's circling movements, kneading the blanket until he seemed satisfied, then plopped down, resting his head in the crook of Gray's neck. Almost immediately, a soft, rumbling sound started up in his chest, and it took a second for Gray to realize he was purring.

The other two quickly joined him, the sound reverberating through them and flooding Gray's body with a sense of calm. He sighed happily, bringing one hand up to brush through Sting's fur and the other to pet Natsu while he rested his cheek against Rogue's head.

It took him almost no time at all to fall back asleep, and this time, he didn't dream.

* * *

Gray woke up to something tugging on his hair.

He grumbled, cracking an eye open and rubbing his face. When he tried to roll over there was a muffled squeak of protest, and he looked down to see something small and red curled up on his chest.

"Oh," he said, yawning and rubbing his face. "Thought that was a dream." He reached down and ran his fingers over Natsu's head, smiling when Natsu purred and pressed up against Gray's hand.

Something pulled on Gray's hair again and when he reached up to brush it away, he was met by a tiny growl and sharp teeth on his fingertips. He could just see the white fluff of Sting's fur out of the corner of his eye, and he sighed as he realized Sting was grooming his hair.

"I don't need a bath," he muttered, trying to nudge Sting away again. Sting made a disgruntled sound, biting the end of Gray's finger again, then returned to licking Gray's hair. Gray gave up, tipping his head to the side when Sting pushed at it with both paws. "You're bossy," Gray said. The only reply he got was a sharp nip to his ear.

Gray yawned, pressing his face into the pillow as Sting continued to clean his hair, making soft, pleased noises as he worked. Rogue, who had been next to Gray's head, shuffled down next to Natsu and curled up with his head on Natsu's back, both of them purring happily as Gray petted them.

Gray had nearly fallen back asleep when there was a knock on the door. Immediately all three dragons were wide awake, sitting up and glaring suspiciously at the front entrance. Sting tumbled backward as Gray sat up and Gray caught him quickly before he fell off the edge of the bed.

"Shush, you," he said to Natsu, who was growling quietly. Gray grabbed a sweater from the side of the bed, pulling it on and picking up Natsu as he headed for the door. The other two immediately clambered down the blanket and trailed after him toward the door.

It was Freed, with Laxus not far behind them.

"Oh," Freed said, eyebrows raised as they looked at Gray's hair. "We, uh…"

"I know," Gray said, moving to run his fingers through it. Sting, who was sitting between Gray's feet, looked up at him reproachfully. "Fine," Gray said, sighing and dropping his hand. "But only 'cause you're cute." Sting looked pleased, flicking his gaze from Gray to Freed and back again.

"Should we come back later?" Freed asked, trying their best to hide a smile. Gray rolled his eyes, gesturing for both Freed and Laxus to come in. Natsu, who had so far been sitting contentedly in Gray's arms, growled as soon as Laxus approached the door.

"Knock it off," Gray said as Sting and Rogue joined him, moving in front of Gray's legs and glaring at Laxus. "He's not going to hurt you! You're all ridiculous."

"I don't think they're worried about him hurting them," Freed said as the two of them stepped inside. "They don't want him near you."

Natsu wriggled in Gray's grip, kicking at him ineffectively with his back legs. Gray sighed, setting him down on the floor with Sting and Rogue and looking at the three of them with his hands on his hips. "I don't need you to protect me," he muttered.

Rogue tipped his head back and looked up at Gray, chittering softly and rubbing his head against Gray's shin. "Stop that," Gray said, rubbing his face. "Look, he's not going to hurt me either." Gray stepped away from the three dragons to stand next to Laxus and all three of them made distressed sounds, tails flicking back and forth.

"Come here," Gray said, sighing and gesturing for Freed and Laxus to follow him into the living room. Laxus crouched down, settling onto the floor in front of the couch with his legs crossed and his hands out in front of him non-threateningly.

Natsu, Sting and Rogue approached cautiously, ducking under the coffee table and glaring at Laxus, who laughed and continued to sit perfectly still. Gray settled down on the couch nearby, while Freed took the armchair and set the book they'd been carrying on the coffee table.

"Did you find anything?" Gray asked.

"Sort of," Freed replied. "Levy figured out that the scroll was enchanted to disguise its true intent, and I didn't recognize it. I'm sorry."

Gray and Laxus both shook their heads. "You couldn't have known what would happen," Laxus said, giving Freed a meaningful look.

"I should have been more careful," Freed said, sighing as they tapped the book. "It's a completely different magic than we first thought."

"Different how?" Gray asked.

While Freed opened up the book and pulled out the scroll, Gray's gaze turned back to Rogue, who had crept out from under the table and was now sitting in front of Laxus, curiously sniffing his outstretched fingers. Natsu and Sting were still under the table, and Natsu was batting at Rogue's tail as it flicked back and forth.

"See?" Laxus said quietly as Rogue hesitantly shuffled closer, placing his front paws on Laxus' shin. "I promise I'm not gonna hurt him. I've got my own mate, I'm not after yours."

Heat rushed to Gray's cheeks at the word 'mate,' but it seemed to please Rogue. He chittered something at Laxus, then turned to look back at the other two as if reassuring him that it was safe.

"Here," Freed said, drawing Gray's attention back to the scroll. They'd spread it out on the coffee table, holding the curled ends down with coasters. "I don't recognize the language, now."

Gray shifted on the couch to take a look at it over Freed's shoulder. With the enchantment lifted, it looked nothing like the scroll they'd used yesterday, and Gray's eyes widened as he recognized the insignia at the bottom.

"Shit," he said, reaching out and running his fingers over the symbol. "It's the same guild."

"The one from the job last month?" Freed asked, frowning.

Gray nodded. "Vengeance Soul. They're a dark guild from Isvan." The fight against them had been a nightmare and had ended with Sting nearly dying, and Gray had hoped they would never have to face that kind of magic again.

The expression on Freed's face quickly shifted from puzzled to relieved. "That's what we were missing," they said, scanning the scroll again. "Levy has a translation spell that should help us out. Or can you read it?"

Gray shook his head "I haven't spoken Isvanian since… with my parents," he said, trying to make sense of the vaguely familiar symbols. "Ur and Lyon both spoke Fioran. It's been years since I've read it."

Freed shifted the scroll to the side, opening the book and pulling out a pen. "I'll have to take it back to the guild," they said, scribbling some notes in the margins. "Hopefully translating it will help – all we know right now is that it's a magic targeted specifically at Dragon Slayers."

"So… this was done to them on purpose?" Gray asked, frowning. "The guild was after this." He held out his arm and summoned his dark devil-slaying marks. There was a still-healing scar near his wrist where the guild had attempted to literally carve the magic out of him. "We're still not sure why, but I thought we got all of them."

A distressed chirping suddenly filled the room and Gray looked down to see all three dragons sitting at his feet, staring at his forearm in concern. "I'm fine," he reassured them, letting the marks fade away and holding out his arm for them to inspect. "See?"

Sting scrambled up onto the couch, hopping into Gray's lap and nuzzling his arm. As soon as Sting touched him, warmth spread through Gray's chest, dissipating the anxiety that had been tying itself in knots.

"I'll take the scroll back to the guild right away," Freed said, tucking it back into the book. "Or… maybe in a bit."

Gray followed Freed's gaze back down to Laxus. Satisfied that Gray was unharmed, Rogue had clambered into Laxus lap and was carefully sniffing his arms. Natsu had climbed up onto the couch next to Laxus' head and had both paws pressed on his shoulder as he groomed Laxus' hair.

"I'm not sure who's going to be more embarrassed about this later," Gray said, laughing. Laxus rolled his eyes good-naturedly and leaned back against the couch, giving in to the tiny dragons' affection.

Sting nudged Gray again, putting both paws on his chest and rubbing his head against Gray's cheek.

"Don't worry," Gray said softly, stroking the soft fur behind Sting's ear as Sting started to purr. "I'm not gonna let anything happen to you. Promise."


	5. mischief and consequences

Sting eventually joined Natsu in grooming Laxus' hair, and by the time they were both satisfied, Rogue was curled up in Laxus' lap, fast asleep.

"Natsu's never going to get over the fact that he licked you," Gray said, laughing as he snapped a photo of them. Laxus snorted and scratched behind Rogue's ears. "Actually," Gray added, tucking his lacrima phone back in his pocket, "would you guys mind watching them while I go to the grocery store?"

Immediately Sting and Natsu looked up at him and made identical distressed sounds. Gray glared at them half-heartedly. "What, you understand that but not 'keep off the counter,' huh?"

Natsu scrambled over into Gray's lap and stood on his hind legs, pressing his front paws against Gray's chest and kneading his sweater.

Freed laughed at the exasperated look on Gray's face. "I have a feeling they wouldn't enjoy being left with us," they said.

"Fine," Gray said, standing up and tucking Natsu into the crook of his arm. "But you three had better behave." Sting looked up at him with wide, innocent eyes and Gray returned the gaze suspiciously.

"We'll head back to the guild to talk with Levy," Freed said, gesturing to the scroll. "I'll let you know as soon as we find something to help."

"Thanks," Gray said, shifting Natsu up onto his shoulder. Natsu chirped happily, rubbing his head against Gray's cheek as Gray lifted Sting off the couch.

Laxus scooped up the sleeping Rogue and passed him off to Gray before taking Freed's hand and standing. "Good luck," Laxus said, not bothering to hide an amused smile at the sight of Gray juggling all three dragons.

"Thanks," Gray muttered, gesturing for the door. "We're going to need it."

* * *

"Okay, you three," Gray said as they approached the grocery store. "Behave, okay? You cannot eat the food in the store. You have to wait until we get home." They all looked at him with wide eyes and he sighed. "This is going to be a disaster, isn't it?" Natsu chittered as if in agreement.

"I still can't believe how cute they are."

Lucy appeared next to them, leaning against a grocery cart and shaking her head at the dragons. Natsu chirped happily at her, flicking his tail back and forth until she reached out and took him off Gray's shoulder.

"Thanks for meeting me," Gray said, gently depositing both Rogue and Sting in the section of the cart usually reserved for small children. They both turned in confused circles, looking up at Gray plaintively. "You're fine," he insisted, taking the handle of the cart and pushing it toward the front doors. "Just... stay in there."

"Freed didn't have any luck with the scroll?" Lucy asked as Natsu settled comfortably on her shoulder. Gray shook his head, quickly filling Lucy in on the events of the morning as they walked through the aisles.

"Well, if anyone can figure it out, it's Freed and Levy," Lucy said, grabbing a box of cereal from the shelf and dropping it in the cart. Sting looked at it curiously, and Gray nudged him back into the seat.

"I'm worried about a dark guild being involved," Gray admitted. "I thought we got rid of them. But if the spell was intentional, they must have something planned, and if they attack Fairy Tail..." He gestured at the dragons. "I mean, they're not exactly... battle-ready."

Rogue cocked his head to the side. "Don't worry," Lucy reassured him, petting his head as he purred happily. She looked up at Gray. "Even if they were trying to get the Dragon Slayers out of the way, we still have Gajeel and Laxus, and Wendy. We can keep them safe."

Natsu made an indignant sound from his perch on Lucy's shoulder and Gray gave him a stern look. "I have a feeling that this idiot doesn't realize that he can't take on an army right now, and he'd end up getting himself hurt." Natsu huffed, rubbing his head against Lucy's cheek.

Lucy was about to respond when there was a loud crash from next to them. Gray whipped around and groaned when he realized that Rogue and Sting had both clambered down from the cart and were now sitting on the floor, wide-eyed in the middle of a pile of cereal boxes that they had knocked down from the shelf.

"You little—" Gray bent down to grab them, but Sting scurried backward, then darted away toward the end of the aisle. Natsu quickly scrambled down from Lucy's shoulder and took off after him. "Get back here!"

"I've got Rogue," Lucy said, reaching down and scooping him up as Gray ran after Sting and Natsu. They disappeared at the end of the aisle and Gray looked uncertainly between the deli and the bakery. A yelp of surprise came from behind the cake display and Gray swore.

"Idiots." He stepped behind the display and came face-to-face with one of the bakers, who was staring at the torn tube of icing in his hand. "I'm so sorry," Gray said, holding up his hands apologetically. He saw a flash of red disappear around the corner and he quickly ran after it.

Natsu and Sting both darted underneath the bread rack, scampering down the aisle and reappearing near the bulk bins. Natsu turned back just long enough to chirp at Gray, then hopped up next to one of the bins and stood on his hind legs, pushing at it with his front paws.

"Natsu, don't!" Gray shouted, but by the time he skidded to a stop at the end of the aisle, it was too late. The container tumbled to the ground in front of Sting, bursting open and scattering rainbow sprinkles across the floor.

There was a stunned silence while the other shoppers turned to stare, and Gray's face flushed hot with embarrassment as he reached out and quickly picked up Natsu. Sting, who was sitting on the floor next to the broken container, poked at some of the sprinkles with a sticky paw.

"I cannot believe you two," Gray muttered, leaning down and grabbing Sting by his scruff. Sprinkles were stuck to the icing coating his fur, and he looked at Gray with wide eyes, tucking his hind legs up against his stomach. "Now I'm gonna have to give you a bath."

* * *

Giving Sting a bath was easier said than done.

"It's just water," Gray grumbled, pushing Natsu back from where he was standing on his hind legs and peering anxiously into the tub. "He'll be fine."

Despite Gray's reassurances, Sting's high-pitched whines got more frantic as he attempted to scramble out from Gray's grip and up the side of the tub. Rogue, who had hopped up on the sink and was watching the scene, chirped at Gray.

"Would you all knock it off?" Gray said, glaring at Rogue as he turned back to Sting. "Shhh, you're fine. You're not gonna drown, it's only two inches deep." He kept a firm grip on Sting's scruff with one hand and used the other to scoop up some of the water from the bottom of the tub and pour it over Sting's head. Sting sputtered at him, shaking his head and rubbing his face with a damp paw.

"See?" Gray said gently, rubbing his fingers through the mess of icing stuck to Sting's fur. "You're fine. You're okay."

Natsu stood up again, pressing his paws against Gray's arm and digging in his claws as he kneaded Gray's skin and whined softly. Gray hissed in pain, trying to nudge Natsu away while keeping Sting in his hands.

"Stop it," he said as Natsu clambered up onto his thigh. Natsu stood up on his hind legs and peered into the bathtub again, this time pulling himself up onto the ledge and almost immediately falling in.

Gray jumped in surprise as Natsu tumbled into the water next to Sting. Natsu made a distressed sound and scrambled toward the edge of the tub, yelping when he slid back down into the water.

"Now look what you did," Gray said, letting go of Sting as he tried to grab Natsu. "C'mere, you idiot." Natsu squeaked unhappily, immediately grabbing onto Gray's arm with all four limbs and digging in his claws. Sting attempted to clamber after him, whining when Gray held him back with the other hand.

Gray swore as he lifted Natsu out of the bath and set him back on the carpet. Natsu's frantic flailing had left a mess of cuts up Gray's forearm and blood was starting to drip down his hand. He grabbed one of the towels from the rack and pressed it against his arm, glaring at Natsu, who had spread out his wings and was shaking off the water.

"I'm putting you back under the time-out basket," Gray said, and was about to grab Natsu again when Rogue suddenly leapt off the counter, spreading his wings awkwardly and almost immediately crashing into the shower curtain. He scrambled against it, digging his claws in to try to keep himself in place.

"For the love of..." Gray quickly stood up, grabbing Rogue and disentangling his claws from the shower curtain. Natsu, who had hopped up on the toilet seat, chirped loudly as he looked back and forth between Rogue and Sting.

"Stop it!" Gray stepped back from the bathtub and held Rogue tightly against his chest until the frenzied kicking had stopped. "Shhh, it's okay," Gray said, running his thumb over the top of Rogue's head. "All of you are being ridiculous. It's just a bath, and you wouldn't need it if you two weren't such shits."

Natsu huffed indignantly while Sting just stared up at Gray from the tub, managing to look innocent and pathetic at the same time. Gray gently set Rogue down on the toilet seat with Natsu, then knelt next to the bathtub again. "Just let me wash you off," he said, carefully running his fingers through the mess in Sting's fur. "Then I promise you'll all get a treat."

* * *

Half an hour later, everyone was clean and dry and sitting on the coffee table. Natsu and Rogue were happily devouring a bowl of raw fish while Sting sat further away, still grooming his fur but looking much less dejected than earlier.

"See?" Gray said, tying off the bandage around his arm and sitting down on the couch. "You're all fine and the only person who got hurt was me." Natsu looked up from the bowl, swallowing a large chunk of fish before moving over to Gray and sniffing his arm. "That's your fault," Gray said as Natsu looked up at him.

Natsu's curious expression quickly turned contrite, and he wrapped his tail around himself as he looked down at the table. Guilt immediately welled up in Gray's chest. "I'm not mad at you," he said gently, reaching out and picking up Natsu. "It's not your fault." Natsu pressed his head against Gray's chest. "It's okay," Gray said. "I know you didn't do it on purpose."

Natsu made a soft, rumbling sound that quickly attracted the attention of the other two. "I'm not mad at any of you," Gray reassured them as they clambered into his arms, purring apologetically. Natsu squirmed up until he could rub his head against Gray's cheek and Gray sighed, kissing the top of his head. "I know," he said softly as he held all three of them close. "I love you, too."


	6. sleepless night

The second night with the dragons was much more difficult than the first.

"Sting, sweetheart, please go to sleep," Gray mumbled. There was a huff next to Gray's head and he cracked his eye open to see Sting sitting next to the pillow, eyes wide as he stared at Gray. Gray sighed, reaching out and scratching behind Sting's ears. "What's wrong?"

Sting made a soft, whining sound and nudged Gray's cheek with his head. Gray squinted at the clock next to the bed and groaned – it was only 2:47 a.m.

"You guys slept last night," he said, yawning and rubbing his eyes. "Why are you suddenly nocturnal?" Sting blinked innocently and Gray rolled his eyes. "Don't give me that look."

Sting made a soft chittering sound, but it was interrupted by a crash and a loud yelp from the living room. Gray swore, sitting up and swinging his legs over the side of the bed as he flicked on the lamp. Rogue and Natsu were nowhere to be seen, and the bedroom door was wide open.

"I swear I closed that," Gray muttered, pushing himself out of bed and scooping up Sting before heading out into the hall. "What the hell are those two doing?"

With the lights off, the only illumination in the apartment was the soft glow of the moon through the living room window. Rogue sat in the middle of the carpet, tail whipping back and forth wildly as he stared at something in the kitchen. As soon as Gray set down Sting on the couch and stepped toward him, Rogue took off, digging his claws into the carpet and darting toward the front door.

"Get back here!" Gray shouted. Rogue yelped again, then leapt into the air and flipped around, darting between Gray's legs and back toward the bedroom. As he passed the couch, Sting pounced down onto him, pinning him to the floor and growling. Rogue flipped onto his back, kicking at Sting with his hind feet while Sting nipped at his neck.

"Just… stay there," Gray said, peeking into the kitchen. There was a faint scratching sound from the corner and Gray sighed, stepping over to the pantry. Natsu froze when he saw Gray, one paw still on the door. "You're a terror," Gray said, leaning down to grab Natsu, who growled at him playfully and darted between his legs. "Would you—for crying out loud, it's three in the morning!"

Natsu chittered at him, charging at Sting and Rogue, who were still grappling next to the couch. A flurry of movement was followed by several loud yelps that ended with Natsu being pinned by both Sting and Rogue.

"Stop it," Gray grumbled, yawning again. They all looked up at him, tails flicking and eyes wide. "You can fight when it's not the middle of the night. Please?"

None of them moved and Gray glanced down the hallway longingly at the bedroom. Part of him was tempted to just leave them here and go back to bed, but the other part was terrified of what they'd do unsupervised.

Natsu bit Sting's paw and Sting yelped, tumbling backward against Gray's legs. Gray quickly trapped Sting between his feet, then grabbed Rogue and Natsu by their scruffs. Both of them immediately started to whine, scrabbling to escape his grip.

"Enough," Gray said, voice sharp with irritation. All three of them immediately stopped, ears going flat against their heads. A tiny pang of guilt ran through Gray, but it was quickly pushed aside by exhaustion. "I'm tired," he said, tucking both Natsu and Rogue under one arm and bending down to pick up Sting. Natsu reached out to bat at Sting but quickly pulled back when Gray glared at him. "Knock it off. It's the middle of the night and we are all going to sleep, got it?"

He headed back into the bedroom and dumped all three dragons onto the bed, then closed the door firmly behind him and dragged the bedside table in front of it for good measure. Natsu immediately scrambled down from the bed and attempted to scratch at the door, but Gray caught him and set him back down again next to the other two.

"Sleep," he said again, yawning and curling up on his pillow. He reached out for the three of them, patting the bed next to him. "C'mere."

Natsu grumbled but moved up, turning in several circles before curling up next to Gray. Sting and Rogue quickly followed him, and when Gray eventually fell asleep again, it was to all three dragons purring against his chest.

* * *

Showering the next morning was an ordeal. As soon as Gray turned on the water, all three dragons hissed and scattered throughout the house, and he spent the next five minutes finding them all in their respective hiding spots and bringing them back into the bathroom.

"I'm not washing any of you," he insisted, closing the door behind him and locking it. "I just don't trust you out there."

When he stepped into the shower, all three dragons made distressed noises. "It's okay," he said, peeking around the shredded curtain to see Natsu with his paws up on the edge of the tub again. "You're going to fall in again, get out of here." Natsu chirped at him, backing away from the tub and pacing uneasily.

Gray quickly soaped up his hair and was in the middle of rinsing it when the shower curtain rattled. He shook the water out, wiping his eyes and looking up to see Rogue peeking curiously at him from over the curtain rod. Tiny holes made a pattern from the bottom of the fabric up to where Rogue was now perched precariously.

"I'm fine," Gray insisted, sighing as Sting's paws appeared on the edge of the tub next to the tap. He whined at Gray, eyes wide as he shifted back and forth on his hind feet. Natsu's head popped up next to Sting's and Gray could see the shadows of both of their tails flicking wildly on the other side of the curtain.

When Gray finally stepped out of the shower with the towel wrapped around him, Natsu and Sting crowded around his ankles anxiously, rubbing themselves up against his legs.

"You're the ones who hate water, not me," Gray said, shaking his head and reaching down to pick up each of them and set them on the bathroom counter. Sting snuffled uncertainly and Gray scratched behind his ears as Rogue clambered down from the damaged shower curtain and settled on the back of the toilet.

Natsu seemed satisfied that Gray was unharmed and turned to sniff his toothbrush instead. A flick of red in the mirror caught his eye and he immediately growled, jumping forward and smashing directly into the mirror.

Gray snorted, shaking his head and reaching out to tug Natsu away from the glass. "That's just your reflection, idiot." Natsu squirmed out of his grip, shaking himself off and batting at the mirror again. When his paw hit the glass, he made a puzzled sound, looking up at Gray, who rolled his eyes. "Of course you want to fight yourself. Why wouldn't you? You want to fight literally everything else you see."

Natsu huffed at him, then turned back to the mirror and rumbled at his reflection, spreading out his wings and headbutting the glass.

"At least you're not destroying my carpet," Gray sighed, reaching out to turn on the tap. Sting squeaked, backing away from the water and nearly falling off the edge of the counter before Gray grabbed him and set him down on the back of the toilet next to Rogue.

By the time Gray was done shaving, Natsu was still growling at the mirror, and Rogue was busy grooming Sting's fur while Sting stared at Natsu quizzically.

"Nobody knows why he's the way he is, it's not just you," Gray reassured Sting, tugging on his shirt and re-wrapping the bandage around his forearm. "Natsu, you're going to give yourself a concussion."

Natsu backed up a few steps, flicking his tail, then hissed and flung himself forward at the mirror again. When he slammed into it with a dull thud, Sting looked up at Gray and chirped at him.

"I know," Gray said, shaking his head and grabbing Natsu around the middle. Natsu grumbled at him, squirming for a second before giving up on his reflection and turning around to clamber up onto Gray's shoulder. "C'mon, you two," Gray said, reaching out for Sting and Rogue, who happily scrambled up into his arms. "Let's go see if Freed figured out how to turn you back."

* * *

The walk to the guild was full of playful tussles, and it was nearly noon by the time they walked through the doors into the hall.

"You managed to get the icing out?" Lucy teased from the bar, waving them over.

"Barely," Gray muttered, depositing all three dragons on the counter and showing Lucy his bandaged arm. "Apparently they don't like water."

Natsu scrambled over to Lucy and chirped happily, rubbing his head against her outstretched hand and then curling up next to her. Sting and Rogue both sat on their haunches, looking around the guild curiously.

"Have you heard from Freed?" Erza asked, sitting down next to Gray. He shook his head, yawning and reaching across the counter to grab himself a cup of coffee.

"I haven't seen them since yesterday."

Sting approached Gray's coffee cup carefully, sniffing it before wrinkling his nose and rubbing a paw across his face. "You don't like that, huh?" Gray asked, laughing and petting the top of Sting's head. Sting made a sound that was almost a sneeze, then glared suspiciously at the mug and returned to Rogue's side.

"Good morning!" Mira appeared on the other side of the counter and reached out her hand to the dragons, laughing happily when they sniffed her and licked her fingers. "Are they hungry?" she asked Gray. All three of them immediately perked up, staring at Mira with wide eyes.

"Always," Gray said, poking Natsu, who squeaked at him and nipped his finger. "They've nearly eaten everything we bought yesterday already. I'm surprised they haven't doubled in size."

Sting, who was undeniably the roundest of the three – even without the fluff – chirped at Gray. "Yes, you're very cute," Gray reassured him, holding out his hand for Sting to rub his head against. "You're just insatiable."

Gray slowly relaxed with Lucy and Erza as Mira brought out a plate for the dragons – raw slabs of bacon and ham that she cut into small chunks and they devoured eagerly. A few tussles broke out between them for the larger pieces of food, but Gray let them fight it out, watching with amusement as Sting puffed his fur up as much as possible whenever the others tried to steal from him.

It was nearing midafternoon when Freed finally surfaced from the basement with Levy close behind, both carrying stacks of books and looking relieved.

"You figured it out?" Gray asked hopefully, wincing as Sting kneaded his bandaged arm and rubbed his head against Gray's chest.

"We think so," Levy said, sounding breathless as she set her stack of books on the counter. Natsu immediately ran up to it and sniffed it curiously, and when Levy reached out her hand for him, he rumbled with a happy purr. When Gajeel appeared behind her, Natsu's ears flattened against his head and he let out a warning growl.

"Don't antagonize them," Levy chastised as Gajeel made a face at Natsu, who hissed and flicked his tail. "Be nice."

"I'm not doing anything!" Gajeel insisted, but when Levy glared at him, he took a step back. Natsu huffed, shaking out his wings and keeping a suspicious eye on Gajeel as he settled back on his haunches next to Rogue.

"I really hope they remember this when they turn back," Gray muttered. Sting, who had clambered up onto his shoulder, made a concerned sound, and Gray reached up to scratch behind his ears. "Don't worry," he murmured quietly, turning to kiss Sting's nose. "You'll still be cute when you're not fluffy."

There was a snort from Laxus nearby, and Gray steadfastly ignored the heat creeping up the back of his neck and into his cheeks.

"Well," Freed said, tapping the pile of books on the counter, "The counterspell should work." Gray raised an eyebrow.

"Should?"

Freed sighed, rubbing their face and looking over at Levy. "Well, there are no guarantees," they said. "Magic isn't always precise, and when you throw translations into the mix…"

"Do we have another choice?" Gray asked.

Freed tipped their head side to side. "Not really. Unless you want to make a trek to Isvan and storm a dark guild."

Gray shuddered, unconsciously touching the scar on his wrist. "No thanks."

* * *

Almost an hour later, they were all back in the field by Gray's house. It took a few minutes to get the three dragons settled into a similar protection circle that Freed had drawn the first time they'd done the spell. Every time Gray stepped away from them, they all made distressed sounds, scampering after him and trying to climb up his legs.

"Stay," Gray said firmly, scooping them up and setting them back in the circle again. "I promise I'll be fine."

Eventually Lucy ended up running back to Gray's house to grab some raw fish to set in the circle, and they were able to trick the three of them into devouring it instead of running after Gray.

"Quickly," Freed said, reaching out for Levy's hand as Gray backed up toward Lucy. Laxus stood behind Freed and Levy, arms crossed over his chest as he watched them begin to read from the scroll. The same crackling energy from before started to swirl around the dragons, and when they started whining in confusion, Gray felt a sharp pang of guilt. He almost moved forward to grab them out of instinct, but Lucy held his arm, whispering, "They'll be okay."

Gray closed his eyes as the sound and the magic intensified, filling the air with the same strange pressure until it reached a crescendo and disappeared with a quiet 'pop.'

There was an eerie silence as the dust settled, revealing the three dragons, just as they had been moments ago. Almost immediately all three of them began to growl, looking around in confusion. Sting's hackles were up and Natsu had spread his wings, while Rogue bared his teeth and kneaded his claws into the grass.

"Hey, it's okay," Gray murmured, moving toward them. "It didn't work, but you're fi—"

A sound like a tiny sneeze interrupted him, and a short, sharp bolt of lightning burst across the ground, zapping the grass next to Sting's paws. Sting hissed, scurrying away from the black mark in the ground and looking around, wide-eyed.

"What the…" Gray trailed off as Freed stepped to the side, revealing another baby dragon – this one white and gold, with bright eyes and tiny lines of electricity sparking around its wings.

"Oh," Freed said, staring at the dragon. "Well, shit."


	7. unintended side effects

"Well, shit." Freed stared down at the tiny lightning dragon, brow creased in confusion. "That wasn't supposed to happen."

Gray crouched down next to Sting, who had finally identified the source of the lightning and was staring at Laxus quizzically. His fur was still puffed out around his neck, but he'd stopped hissing and looked more curious than afraid. Natsu, on the other hand, was still growling and ruffling his wings.

"Natsu," Gray chided, reaching out and running a finger over his head. "It's okay."

Natsu slowly settled and after a second, Rogue joined him. They both moved closer to Gray, keeping a wary eye on Laxus as Sting took a few hesitant steps toward him. Laxus tipped his head to the side, studying Sting intently as tiny sparks of lightning jumped along his scales.

Once Sting was close enough to Laxus, he made a soft chirping sound. Laxus reciprocated the sound cautiously, then startled when Sting jumped forward and headbutted him.

"Well." Gray watched, surprised, as Laxus returned the gesture, rubbing his face against Sting's as they sniffed each other. "That's unexpected." Sting's chirping turned to a happy purr, and he turned back to Natsu and Rogue, flicking his tail as if saying, it's safe, come play. Neither of them moved, instead making uncertain noises and remaining close to Gray.

"As adorable as this is," Levy interjected, stepping forward with the scroll, "it definitely shouldn't have happened."

Freed sighed and rubbed their temples. "To be fair," they said, looking over at Gray, "I did say it should work." They looked remarkably unfazed by their partner's sudden transformation.

Laxus tipped his head up at the sound of Freed's voice, making a pleased sound and moving over to nuzzle at their leg. Sting followed Laxus, pouncing on his tail and yelping when another spark of lightning jumped to his nose. Laxus turned and nipped at him, giving a short warning growl before putting his paws up on Freed's leg and kneading their pants.

"I'm starting to wonder if this whole thing is an elaborate prank," Gray commented, standing up and dusting off his pants. "Lyon would probably think it was funny. Or maybe Minerva – she couldn't stop laughing when we called and told Sabertooth what happened."

"I would agree with you," Freed said, "except for the potency of the magic on the scroll." They bent down and scooped up Laxus, laughing when Laxus purred happily and headbutted their chin. "Nobody with that much magic would waste it on a prank."

Gray raised an eyebrow, looking down at Natsu and back at Freed. "You'd be surprised," he said. Natsu tipped his head back, gave Gray an offended look, then nipped at Rogue and scurried over to sniff Sting.

"Did the scroll change again?" Gray asked as Natsu, apparently satisfied that Sting wasn't hurt, pounced and growled at him playfully.

"No," Levy said, holding it out to show Gray. The Isvanian writing was still there, and while Gray couldn't read it, it looked no different than the last time he'd seen the scroll. The guild symbol was still stamped on the bottom and looking at it drew a shiver along the hairs at the back of Gray's neck.

Freed stepped forward, looking pensively at the scroll and then up at Gray. "I don't think we should cast it again," they said with a sigh. "Which means it looks like we're taking a trip to Isvan."

* * *

"I'm not comin' anywhere near that thing."

Gajeel stood a good distance away from where they had the scroll spread out on a table in the guild, staring at it nervously. Laxus, who seemed to dislike human Gajeel as much as the other three, growled at him, and Gray snorted.

"I don't think they'd let you come over here anyway," he commented.

Levy rolled her eyes. "It's not contagious," she reassured Gajeel, but he didn't look convinced. He kissed Levy's cheek, then headed off to the other side of the guild and settled down at another table with Juvia, leaving Gray, Freed and Levy to stare at the scroll. Freed rolled out a map beside it, pressing at the corners to flatten the parchment.

"Here," Gray said, tapping an unmarked area of the map east of Fiore.

"You're sure?" Freed looked up at him, eyebrows raised, and Gray sighed.

"Pretty sure." He chewed his lip. "It was ten years ago, and I wasn't…" Thoughts of Ur flashed through his mind and he shook his head to get rid of them. "I don't remember much. I was just a little kid."

Natsu, who had been batting at Laxus' tail, appeared to notice Gray's hesitation and moved over to him, making a concerned sound and headbutting his arm. Gray smiled, leaning down and kissing the top of Natsu's head.

"I'm fine," he said softly as Natsu returned the gesture by licking Gray's nose, then scrambled up his arm until he was sitting on Gray's shoulder.

"We don't have any other information on the guild?" Freed's voice brought Gray back to the map and the scroll, and he shook his head.

"Not really." He looked over at Sting, who was lying on his back in front of Laxus, making soft chirping noises and batting at Laxus' head. He didn't have scars in the dragon form, but Gray couldn't stop thinking about the one on his human body – twisted and red, stretching from his hip to the middle of his ribs. "They're dangerous. We barely managed to take out the three that came after us, and Sting almost died."

Sting tipped his head toward Gray at the mention of his name, but his attention was quickly dragged away when Laxus pounced on him and nipped at his ear. Freed raised an eyebrow as the two of them grappled for a minute, tiny sparks of electricity building up static until all of Sting's fur was standing on end.

Sting growled playfully, kicking Laxus off him and rolling onto his feet. He dashed across the table, tackling Rogue and making a delighted chirping sound when the sparks transferred over. Rogue, unimpressed with the zaps of electricity, batted at Sting's head and huffed.

"I still can't believe someone would go to all this trouble just for… this," Gray said, gesturing at the dragons. Laxus, who had recovered from Sting's surprise kicks, began to prowl across the table, head low and tail whipping wildly behind him. Once he was close enough to the other two, he paused, wriggled in anticipation, then launched himself forward and landed on Rogue's back.

"Well, they are significantly less of a threat like this," Levy commented, leaning forward on the table to watch the mock battle. Rouge looked slightly less comfortable than Sting around Laxus, and he growled as they circled each other cautiously.

"And it's an effective way to incapacitate all of them at the same time," Freed added, reaching out to separate the two when Rogue started to hiss. "Knock it off," they muttered at Laxus, picking him up and frowning at him. "You're supposed to be an adult."

Laxus stared up at him with wide eyes, looked back at Rogue for a moment, then yawned, nuzzling against Freed. Gray laughed at the pink flush that crept into Freed's cheeks at the gesture.

"Make sure to lock your pantry," he said, and Natsu chirped what sounded like an agreement in his ear. "And your drawers. This one—" Gray poked at Natsu "—has been hoarding spoons."

Levy laughed. "Spoons?"

"Mhmm. Forks too, sometimes, but the smaller teaspoons are easier for him to drag off to the closet." Natsu made an affronted sound and nipped at Gray's ear. "Oh, don't even," Gray muttered, scratching his head. "I know exactly what you're up to. You'd be hoarding food, too, if I let you."

At the mention of food, all four of the dragons perked up, including Laxus, who made a soft purring sound and headbutted Freed again. Sting, who had been grooming Rogue while they were talking, darted over to Gray and stared at him with wide eyes.

"Guess it's suppertime," Gray said wryly, petting Sting's head and looking back at Freed. "Are we going, then? To Isvan?" The idea made his stomach twist uncomfortably.

Freed nodded. "I think so," they said, shifting Laxus up onto his shoulder. "Even if it's just to do reconnaissance – we need to know what we're up against."

Gray sighed, rubbing his face and staring uncertainly at the map. "Just us?" he asked. "If there's a threat against the guild, we shouldn't take too many people away."

Levy nodded, gesturing over at the table where Gajeel and Juvia were now playing a game of chess. "Wendy and Gajeel should stay here," she said. "If their goal was to take out dragon slayers, we should keep the remaining two close. And I'll keep researching – Yukino said they might have some books at the Sabertooth library on animal transformation that could help."

"Agreed." Freed rolled up the map and the scroll and tucked them into the pocket of their jacket. "I've got that summoning scroll from our last mission – Gray and I can bring it with us in case we end up needing backup." Laxus tipped his head up at that and gave Freed a look that was almost insulted.

"First train tomorrow, then?" Gray asked, trying to hide his laughter. "We can take it as far as Clover Town and figure out where to go from there."

Freed nodded. "We'd better go home and pack, then," they sighed, looking down at Laxus. "Bickslow and Evergreen are going to kill themselves laughing."

* * *

"Babe, you're really not helping."

Sting looked up at Gray from his spot on the kitchen floor where he was lying on his back with a sock trapped in his paws. He chirped happily at Gray, then turned back to the sock and growled at it, kicking it with his back feet.

"Those are my favorite socks," Gray tried again, setting one of his folded shirts in the travel bag on the kitchen table. He crouched down and reached out his hand for the sock, and Sting rolled over, shaking it viciously a few times before relinquishing it.

"Good boy," Gray said, scratching behind Sting's ears. The implication of the words quickly caught up to him and he groaned as his cheeks flushed hot with embarrassment. "Not like—I didn't mean it like that." Sting tipped his head to the side and looked at Gray curiously. Gray sighed. "Just… forget I said anything."

Sting seemed happy to comply. He flicked his tail back and forth a few times, and when he saw it out of the corner of his eye, he quickly spun around in a circle, trying to catch it.

"You're ridiculous," Gray said, grabbing the matching sock from the laundry basket before tucking them together and setting them with the other clean clothes in the bag.

Sting huffed, swiping for his tail one last time before giving up and sniffing the laundry basket instead. He stood up on his hind legs, peeking over the edge, then quickly scrambled into the basket and burrowed under the warm clothes. Gray laughed at the pleased purring that immediately started to radiate from the basket.

"C'mon, get out of there," he said, nudging the basket with his foot. "You're getting fur all over my clean clothes." The basket growled playfully at him and Gray leaned down to dig through it, yelping when tiny teeth nipped at his finger. "You little shit," Gray grumbled, laughing when he poked back and was rewarded with an indignant squeak.

Sting finally surfaced, another sock caught between his teeth, and before Gray could grab him, he'd hopped out of the basket and was racing down the hall toward the bedroom. Rogue, who had been sitting on the table and watching the whole time, huffed at Gray.

"Oh, don't pretend you're any better," Gray muttered as Rogue stood up and stretched, shaking out his wings before stalking over to Gray and nuzzling his arm. "Don't think I haven't noticed your nest in the coffee drawer." Rogue blinked at him innocently.

By the time Gray was finished packing, Sting had returned from his sock nest and was wrestling with Natsu near the sofa. Rogue watched them impassively from the kitchen table, occasionally chirping when one of them got in a good bite or kick. Gray tugged on his jacket, then slung his bag over his shoulder and turned back to the dragons.

"Who wants a treat?" Gray asked, making a soft kissing sound. Natsu immediately shoved Sting to the ground, scrambling over to Gray and sitting at his feet, while Rogue shuffled over and leaned against Gray's arm. Sting squeaked indignantly, rolling onto his feet and scampering over to bite Natsu's ear and push him out of the way.

"Be nice," Gray chided, gently handing each of them a small piece of meat. All three of them devoured their food quickly, then started sniffing at him for more. "C'mon," he said, lifting Rogue and Natsu onto his shoulders and tucking Sting under one arm as he opened the front door. "You three are going to stay at Lucy's."


	8. snakes on a train

"I'm not abandoning you; I promise."

Gray stood in the entrance to Lucy's apartment, trying to ignore the unsettled feeling in his stomach at the thought of leaving the dragons. He sighed at the despondent expression on Sting's face as he stood on his hind legs, paws pressed firmly against Gray's shin.

"Don't look at me like that," Gray grumbled. "This is hard enough as it is."

Sting whined unhappily, pawing at Gray's leg until Gray crouched down next to him. The other two, who had been sniffing curiously around Lucy's apartment, scrambled back over as well.

"Look, I won't be gone for that long," Gray insisted, scratching behind Sting's ears and petting Natsu's head. "You have to stay with Lucy, it's too dangerous for you to come with us." Rogue huffed, giving Gray a look that was very clearly a pout.

"I'll take good care of them," Lucy reassured him. Gray gave all three of them one last pat, then stood up and shifted his pack on his shoulder.

"Thank you," he said to Lucy. "I'm hoping we'll be back within a week. I've got my lacrima phone if—"

"I know," Lucy said, giving Gray a look of fond exasperation. "You've already told me six times. We'll be fine, I promise. Erza will be here soon, we can handle them." She squeezed Gray's hand, then stood on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek. "Be careful," she said, voice turning serious.

"I will," Gray said, pushing past the unease and giving her a thin smile. Then he sighed, giving in and looking down at three sets of wide, forlorn eyes as he backed out the door. "Be good," he said, then added quietly, "I love you."

* * *

Gray and Freed were just settling into their seats on the train when someone screamed.

"What the hell?" Gray frowned, looking down the aisle at a group of people near the ticket-taker at the door. They all seemed panicked, and after a second, one woman shouted again and jumped up on her seat. Freed, who had been tucking their bag in the luggage compartment, looked at Gray and frowned.

"It's a snake!" the woman screamed, pointing at the ground on the other side of the aisle. "There's a snake on the train!"

A flash of red caught Gray's eye and his heart sank. "You've got to be fucking kidding me," he muttered.

As if on cue, his lacrima phone started to ring, Lucy's name popping up on the screen. He quickly handed the phone to Freed, who answered as Gray took off toward the commotion. One of the train attendants had his hands out to the woman, trying to coax her down, but she was shaking her head, pointing at the seats on the other side of the aisle.

"I saw it!" she insisted. "There's a snake!"

Gray sighed, crouching down in the aisle and peeking under the seat. Natsu was crouched near the wall, hiding behind the seat leg with his ears flat back against his head and his teeth bared. "You little shit," Gray grumbled. "C'mere."

He reached out his hand and Natsu quickly scrambled into it, pressing himself against Gray's chest and making a soft chittering sound as Gray stood up. "You're fine," Gray said, rolling his eyes. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"Uh, sir…" The train attendant looked at Natsu hesitantly. "Is that snake… yours?" Natsu made an indignant sound at the word 'snake,' and Gray flicked him gently on the nose.

"He's not a snake, he's a dragon," Gray explained quickly as Natsu huffed and clambered up onto his shoulder. "And, um…" He looked around quickly, realizing that Rogue and Sting were nowhere to be seen. "Where are the other two?" he asked Natsu.

"Other two?" The woman, who was still standing on the seat, looked like she was about to faint.

"Um. Yes." Gray felt his cheeks growing hot and he gritted his teeth. "They're just babies, they're harmless, I promise." Natsu, clearly taking offense at that, ruffled his wings and growled. "Knock it off," Gray hissed. "We're trying not to get kicked off the train."

"Sir, pets are expected to be properly minded on the train," the train attendant said seriously.

"They're not pet—" Gray cut himself off, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Yes, you're right, I'm very sorry, he won't bother anyone again, will he?" He glared at Natsu, who had the decency to look remorseful, then turned around and headed back toward his seat, keeping an eye out for Sting and Rogue.

"You are the absolute worst," he said to Natsu, who whined and rubbed his head against Gray's cheek. "Don't you dare. You're supposed to be at Lucy's – how the hell did you get here?"

He trailed off as he reached his seat and found Rogue and Sting curled up in the middle of it, both looking at Freed with guilty expressions on their faces.

"I guess they didn't want to be left behind," Freed said wryly, gesturing to a pleased-looking Laxus who was sitting in their lap. They handed Gray's phone back and gave Laxus an unimpressed look. "Bickslow called, too. They must have snuck out and followed us somehow – these two were in your bag." They gestured at Sting and Rogue.

"I'm not happy with you three," Gray said seriously, lifting Natsu off his shoulder by the scruff of his neck and dropping him next to the other two. He slumped down across from them in the seat next to Freed and sighed. "I was trying to keep you safe."

Rogue huffed, looking at Natsu as if blaming him for the entire escapade, while Natsu ruffled his wings and managed to look indignant. Sting, on the other hand, looked pitifully at Gray with his ears flat back against his head and his tail tucked between his legs.

Guilt welled up in Gray's chest and he reached out for Sting, who immediately clambered into his arms and burrowed against his chest. "I'm not mad at you," Gray reassured him. "I'm just worried."

"Well, it's too late to send them back," Freed said as the train started to move. "I guess they're coming along." Laxus chirped happily and Freed raised an eyebrow at him. "That doesn't mean you aren't in trouble." Laxus seemed unfazed by Freed's admonishment as he turned in circles and curled up on Freed's lap with his tail over his nose.

Gray sighed, running his finger over Sting's nose as he rubbed his head against Gray's chest. The mild irritation from earlier slowly faded with every stroke of his fingers through Sting's fur, and as he watched Natsu and Rogue curl up around each other, a sense of relief washed over him.

"Do you feel…" Gray hesitated, glancing over at Freed, who was idly running their fingers along Laxus' spine. He hadn't even realized how on edge he'd been until now.

Freed nodded before Gray could finish his thought. "I felt it before," they said. "When Laxus was human, I mean – he always felt like home. But it's stronger now. It's like…" They gestured vaguely and Gray nodded, somehow understanding exactly what they meant.

"Yeah." He looked down at Sting, who bumped his chin and licked him. "I know, sweetheart," Gray murmured, kissing his nose. "I missed you too." Sting nuzzled his cheek again, then clambered up onto his shoulder, purring happily and settling in for a nap.

* * *

Miraculously, none of the dragons got into trouble for the rest of the trip. Natsu attempted to clamber onto the snack trolley when it came by, but Gray managed to catch him before he could do any serious damage. The rest of the time, the four of them stayed on the seats, alternating between chasing each other around and sleeping in a tangle of legs and tails.

When they stepped off the train nearly six hours later, it was snowing.

"Is it like this here all the time?" Freed asked, burying their face in their scarf and tucking their hands in their pockets. Laxus, who had crawled up into Freed's hood, poked his head up over Freed's shoulder and watched curiously as snowflakes drifted down from the sky.

"I think so," Gray said, frowning as pieces of memory cracked and splintered through him. Everything was disjointed – a flash of dark hair, the smell of woodsmoke, kids laughing. "I remember sledding with my friends. And ice fishing, I think."

Natsu, who had been asleep in Gray's coat pocket, perked up at the mention of fish. Gray laughed, scratching behind his ears when he looked up eagerly.

"No fish," Gray said as Natsu started to sniff his hand suspiciously. "Just snow." Natsu grumbled, huddling down in Gray's pocket in an attempt to avoid the cold. "You're going to have to get used to it," Gray said. "I told you to stay with Lucy, I have no sympathy for you."

Sting, who had been asleep in Gray's hood, yawned and poked his head out, nuzzling Gray's cheek. As he stretched and kneaded the heavy fabric of Gray's jacket, a snowflake drifted down and landed on his nose, and he blinked at it in surprise. He immediately brushed it away with a paw, snuffling and looking up at Gray.

"It's all right," Gray reassured him as he cocked his head, then clambered out of Gray's hood and down his arm. Natsu squeaked in concern as Sting batted tentatively at the flakes falling from the sky.

"Oh, shush," Gray said fondly, scratching behind Natsu's ears. "Just because you hate the cold doesn't mean he has to." Natsu nipped at Gray's finger and made a disgruntled sound as he burrowed deeper into his pocket.

Sting, on the other hand, looked pleased with the snow. He gazed upward, opening his mouth to try and catch some of the flakes. When he finally snatched one out of the air, he made a surprised sound and attempted to spit it back out.

"It's just cold water," Gray said. "Look."

He crouched down near a snowbank, setting Sting down on his knee. Then he reached out one mittened hand, scooping up a handful of snow and bringing it closer for Sting to inspect. Sting sniffed at it curiously, then moved in to take a bite and blinked in surprise when it immediately melted in his mouth.

"See? It's not going to hurt you." Gray poked at his pocket. "Or you."

The only response he got was an indignant growl and he rolled his eyes.

He was about to stand up again when Sting wriggled on his knee, then pounced head-first into the snow with an excited yelp. Rogue peeked over Gray's shoulder and immediately started to whine in distress.

"Shit," Gray cursed, digging into the pile of snow to try and find the tiny dragon. "Sting, get back here!" There was no response for a second, and then Sting's head poked out of the snow a few feet away, snuffling and shaking out his fur.

"Well he certainly seems to like it," Freed commented as Sting growled playfully, jumping as high as he could and diving back down into the snow. He resurfaced again a little way away, then looked back at Gray and chirped at him.

"Do you think he'll be warm enough?" Gray asked, standing up and dusting off his pants. Rogue chittered at him, shifting onto his shoulder and nipping at his ear.

"He does have fur," Freed said as Sting started to dig into the snow, kicking it up behind him in a tiny cloud. "I don't really know anything about dragon biology."

"I don't think anyone does," Gray said, wincing at the sharp teeth in his ear. "Knock it off," he said, reaching up and grabbing Rogue to stop his biting. "He's fine, look at him."

Sting made a pleased sound and burrowed into the hole he'd dug, spitting out the occasional mouthful of snow. Natsu poked his head up out of Gray's pocket and looked around, and as soon as he saw Sting, he joined in with Rogue's distressed sounds.

"You're the only sensible one," Gray said, looking over at Laxus, who was fast asleep in Freed's hood. "And you two are ridiculous. He's not hurt, see?"

Sting, who had just swallowed a chunk of snow, stood up on his hind legs in the hole he'd dug and trilled at Natsu and Rogue reassuringly. They both appeared somewhat mollified until Sting sneezed, and a sharp line of magic burst out of him and sent him tumbling backward.

"What the—"

"Did he just—"

Freed and Gray both spoke as Sting stumbled to his feet, looking dazed and staring at the hole his magic had made in the snow. Natsu and Rogue's distressed sounds quickly turned into surprised squeaks, and before Gray could stop them, they both leaped down into the snow and scurried over to Sting. Laxus wasn't far behind, and all three of them immediately started to sniff Sting, nuzzling him and then joining him in inspecting the hole once they were satisfied that he was unharmed.

"Well then," Gray said as Sting backed away from the others, then let out another small burst of white magic, looking quite pleased with himself. "I guess we shouldn't be surprised – Laxus still has his lightning."

"Yes, but not quite like that," Freed said, watching the dragons curiously. "I wonder if it's the snow."

"The snow?"

"It's white," Freed explained, crouching down and running their fingers through it. "If Natsu can gain power from eating flames, it stands to reason that Sting would gain his from something white."

"Huh." Gray watched as Natsu studied Sting curiously, then looked down at the snow and appeared to come to the same conclusion. He carefully took a bite of the white powder, made a face, then attempted to breathe out a stream of magic. When nothing happened, he whined and looked sadly back at Gray.

"Come here, you idiot," Gray said fondly, crouching down as all the dragons made their way clumsily through the snow toward him. Natsu sat on his haunches in front of Gray, sticking out his tongue and wiping at it miserably with one paw.

"Don't worry," Gray said, picking up the despondent Natsu and tucking him back into his pocket. The other two quickly clambered back up his sleeve and curled up in his hood, purring contentedly. "We'll get a fire going tonight and you'll be able to make magic, too."

Then he dusted the snow out of his hair and gestured to Freed before continuing down the path toward Isvan.


	9. northern lights

_A/N: welcome back! i put this story on the back burner for a bit while i finished 'your heart is a hurricane,' and now i'm gonna focus on this one ^-^_

_i'm basing everything about isvan on inuit (ᐃᓄᐃᑦ) culture and language (specifically inuinnaqtun). unfortunately my only source for inuinnaqtun comes from a dictionary, so if any inuit folk are reading this and have corrections for me, i warmly welcome them._

* * *

"This was probably not my best idea."

Gray sat next to the campfire, keeping a careful eye on Natsu as he stalked toward the flames, tail flicking back and forth in excitement. "Be careful," Gray warned, holding Sting in his lap and stroking behind his ears. Sting purred happily and rubbed his head back against Gray's fingers.

Natsu gave Gray an offended look, then pounced forward, eating some of the flames. He scrambled backward after a second, smoke spilling from his mouth, then turned to Gray and opened wide to breathe out a line of fire.

"Not _at me, _you little idiot!" Gray yelped, quickly patting out the tiny fire that started on his sleeve. Sting made an indignant noise on Gray's behalf and pounced at Natsu, knocking him onto his back and nipping at his neck. Natsu kicked at him with his hind feet, growling half-heartedly as the attack turned playful.

"Hopefully he doesn't burn down the tent," Freed said mildly from the other side of the fire where they were bundled up and holding their hands out to keep warm. Laxus had already proven he could use his lightning magic when he ate the sparks from the flint for the fire, and he watched Sting and Natsu's battle with something like disdain from where he was settled in front of Freed. Rogue, who seemed to have taken a liking to Laxus despite his initial uncertainty, was curled up next to him, fast asleep with his tail over his nose.

"I probably shouldn't encourage him," Gray mused, shifting close to the fire and prodding at it with a stick. Sparks drifted up into the sky, highlighting the soft flakes of snow that drifted slowly down around them. The area where they had made camp was sheltered in a grove of pine trees, and Freed had created a rune barrier above them to keep out most of the snow.

Sting, who had scampered away from Natsu's retaliatory attack, dove into a pile of snow just outside the area they'd cleared. When he surfaced, his muzzle was wet from the snow he'd eaten. Natsu stalked toward him, then yelped when a blast of white magic hit the ground next to his front paws. Sting made a chittering sound that was almost a laugh before pouncing back onto Natsu and sitting on his stomach.

"I think he wins," Gray said, laughing at the outraged look that Natsu managed to throw his way. Natsu turned back to Sting and bit his foot, kicking him off when Sting stumbled back in surprise. A line of fire shot out from Natsu's mouth, scorching the ground in front of Sting and lightly singeing the fur on his chest.

"Natsu!" Gray chided, reaching out for him and grabbing him by the scruff of his neck. "Don't be an asshole."

Natsu whined, twisting in Gray's grip and trying to nip at Gray's fingers. "I know you're excited about your magic," Gray said, setting Natsu down in his lap and scratching the top of his head. "You can't just light everything you see on fire, though."

A small puff of smoke wisped up from Natsu's nostrils as he huffed, then slowly relaxed under Gray's hands. When Sting clambered up next to him, Natsu made an apologetic noise and started to groom the singed fur on Sting's chest.

"That's better," Gray said, leaning back and shifting so they could both curl up between his legs. "So, what about you?" He looked over at Rogue, who blinked at him sleepily as he uncurled from his sleeping position, then stretched out his front legs, kneading the ground as he yawned.

"He should be able to just…" Freed gestured around them vaguely. The sun had set not long ago, and the forest was filled with shadows cast from the bright silver light of the moon. Rogue ambled over to the edge of the makeshift campsite, watching the dark spots on the ground shift and flicker with the light of the campfire. Gray watched in fascination as the shadows solidified for a second before they disappeared into Rogue's open mouth.

Rogue turned back to the two of them, looking pleased with himself before he disappeared.

"What the—"

Gray's panic was short lived when Rogue reappeared on the other side of the fire next to Laxus, who jumped in surprise and bared his teeth.

"Interesting," Freed said, reaching out and running their finger across Laxus' head until he stopped growling and settled next to their leg. Rogue followed, standing on his hind legs and headbutting Freed's other hand. "So it's not just their breath magic."

"Well that's inconvenient," Gray muttered, raising an eyebrow at Rogue, who purred happily as Freed petted him. "The last thing we need is him disappearing. They're small enough as it is."

"You're not going to disappear on us, are you?" Freed asked Rogue, voice shifting into a soft, fond cadence as they scratched beneath Rogue's chin. Rogue flicked his tail contentedly, then wriggled his entire body and hopped up onto Freed's lap. Laxus gave him a quiet growl and Freed rolled their eyes, holding out their hand so Laxus could scramble up as well.

"You'd better not disappear," Gray said seriously as he grabbed the stick from next to him and poked at the fire. "We have to stick together; it's just going to get colder the farther north we go." Natsu, who was now curled up underneath Sting and using him as a blanket, grumbled.

"It would help if we knew where we were going," Freed pointed out, shifting so their feet were closer to the fire. "Does anything seem familiar?"

Gray stared at the flames, watching the patterns as it crackled and spit. Fragments of memory had come and gone all day, but any time he tried to focus on them, they drifted away like smoke into the night.

"Sometimes," he said eventually. "It's hard to know what's real and what's dreams. It was a long time ago."

Freed nodded, shuffling closer to the flames. "Memory is a strange thing," they said softly. "Especially when it's tied to trauma."

Gray continued to stare into the flames as heat crept into his cheeks, and he nearly dropped his stick into the fire. Freed was his best friend, but even they only knew bits and pieces of Gray's past.

"I think—we might be close to where I lived," he said hesitantly. "With my parents. Before Ur. I'm not sure. I think—that lake we passed, earlier today… I think I went there with my paappak." When Freed made a curious sound, he clarified, "My dad. I remember that much. And amaamak – my mom." The words felt foreign in his mouth, and they filled his chest with a soft sense of longing.

"You don't talk about them," Freed said. A cold breeze picked up around them, tossing small flurries of snow into the air. Freed reached out a hand and made a few simple gestures, pulling the barrier above them down until it surrounded them on three sides and kept the wind out.

"It was a long time ago," Gray said. Sting made a soft trilling sound from his place on top of Natsu, and Gray smiled, scratching behind his ears. "It hurts to talk about them," he admitted quietly. "I miss them. And forgetting… it feels like I'm losing them. I wish I remembered more."

"Of the language, you mean?"

Gray nodded. "I didn't even speak Fioran until Ur adopted me," he said. "I know other people up here must speak Isvanian, but nobody in Fiore does, so I don't have anyone to speak it with. So it just disappears, bit by bit, and it feels like I lose them even more."

"I could learn," Freed offered. Gray looked up at them and they smiled at him through the flames. "I'm good at languages, you know that. I'm sure there's books on it somewhere."

"That's a lot of work."

Freed shrugged. "I like work," they said simply. "And you're my best friend. If it helps you feel connected to your past and your culture, I want to do it."

Gray swallowed against the lump that suddenly pressed against his throat. Sting, who seemed to sense the change in his mood, purred loudly and squirmed off of Natsu, sitting up on his back legs and pressing his paws to Gray's chest. Gray laughed, kissing the top of Sting's head and helping him clamber up until he was tucked into Gray's hood, head resting on Gray's shoulder.

"Ilannaq," Gray said, looking up at Freed. "It means 'friend.' Actually, 'ivjurnauti' would be better, it's—like best friend, I guess."

"Ivjurnauti," Freed repeated. Hearing the word spoken by someone else after so many years made Gray feel warm – like he was little again and sitting by the fire while amaamak told him stories. "What else do you remember?"

A memory of pain and blood flashed through Gray's mind and he pushed it away, soothed by Sting's soft purrs and the way Natsu burrowed closer to him, making soft, contented sounds.

"There was another village," Gray said, closing his eyes to try to pull the threads of memory together. "I don't remember what it was called. My grandfather came from there and we'd visit sometimes. The way we're going, it feels like we're close."

"Hopefully we'll find it tomorrow," Freed said, covering their mouth as a yawn escaped. "Maybe someone there can tell us about the guild."

Gray nodded and rubbed his face as exhausted slowly started to overtake him. He scratched behind Natsu's ears as he relaxed back against the log behind him, tipping his head back to stare through the rune barrier at the sky. Millions of stars spilled across the deep black night, forming unfamiliar constellations.

They sat in silence for a while, watching the campfire smoke drift up into the sky. Eventually the horizon started to shimmer, and a faint green light began to paint itself into the night. It drifted higher, twisting and turning and spilling out lines of pink and purple as it trailed overhead.

"Aqhalingiaq," Gray said softly as memories of sitting on his father's lap and watching the northern lights filled his mind. "The light," he explained when Freed looked over at him. "That's what it's called."

"I've never seen it before," Freed said, tipping their head back to stare at the brilliant display. The lights gave their hair a soft bluish tinge "I've only read about it in books – it's beautiful."

Laxus, who had fallen asleep in Rogue's lap, blinked slowly awake and stretched, then tipped his head back to stare at the sky along with them. Sting made a contented sound and rubbed his cheek against Gray's before yawning and cuddling closer.

Gray sighed happily, closing his eyes and letting himself drift into memories. They came in bits and pieces – some of them painful, some of them not – and he let all of them wash over them, releasing them when they hurt too much. It was easier here than back home, and Gray felt a comfortable warmth fill him as he let himself exist and remember, surrounded by love and the snow and the northern lights.

* * *

That night, Gray dreamed about his mother.

Instead of crying next to her still body, dream-Gray was little – two or three years old, peeking over her shoulder from where he was tucked snugly into the sealskin akuq she wore. She was sitting outside under the bright winter sun, carefully sewing tiny beads into the fabric on her lap. Her hands were small and quick, the soft brown skin weathered from years of work.

The needle flew in and out of the fabric, pulling beads after it that told stories Gray couldn't remember. After a moment, his mother began to sing an Isvanian lullaby as she rocked back and forth.

"I am proud of you," she said softly to dream-Gray, reaching back and touching his cheek as the dream started to dissolve. "And I love you very much."

* * *

Gray woke to the sound of cursing.

"Stupid lizard!" an unfamiliar voice shouted. Gray was immediately up, throwing off the heavy blankets and scrambling out of the tent into the clearing. Two women stood near the extinguished fire, one of them holding her bleeding hand against her chest. Natsu sat on the ground a short distance away, growling and spreading his wings to look as big as possible.

"Natsu!" Gray shouted, darting forward and grabbing him while forming a shield of ice to block the blast of dark energy that flew from the other woman. It smashed against the barrier hard enough to shatter it and knock Gray onto his back. His head hit the ground as his breath rushed out of him, blurring his vision for a second before he managed to scramble backward and push himself to his feet. Natsu struggled against Gray's grip, growling fiercely at the women as Gray stumbled toward the tent.

"Gray! Get back!" A wall of purplish runes sprang up between Gray and the attackers as Freed appeared behind him, looking disheveled but ready to fight. "Is it—"

"It's them," Gray said, immediately recognizing the Vengeance Soul guild mark on the back of both the women's hands. A hot, stinging fear rushed through him, and suddenly all he could see was Sting lying on his back, blood dripping from where Gray's hands were pressed against the devastating wound his side. "Where are the other—"

Gray's panicked question was interrupted by the appearance of Sting, Rogue and Laxus at the flap to the tent, all peering curiously out at the commotion. Gray quickly dropped Natsu next to them and nudged them all back with his foot, keeping one eye on the women as he formed a blade of ice.

"You did this," he hissed at them, gripping the hilt of the sword. "What do you want?" Neither of the women responded, and the one in the back held her hands out as a dark, rippling miasma began to form above them.

"Get them out of here," Freed said, right hand holding up the barrier as their left hand started to draw symbols in the air. "Dark Ecriture: Pain," he murmured as a blast of runes flew through the air. The woman in front easily deflected the magic with a flick of her wrist and Freed's eyes widened in surprise.

Gray shook his head, eyes dropping to the scar on his wrist. "It was a trap," he said quietly, exhaling as he let the demon markings appear on his arm. A wave of nausea flowed through him, just like every time he used the magic, and he shook his head to get rid of the dizzy sensation. "They just want me."

"You can't just let them take you," Freed hissed. "I can use—"

"You can't use Darkness Magic," Gray said quickly, grabbing Freed's arm. "It's demon magic. I don't know what'll happen." He gestured to the markings that crawled down his arm and made twisting patterns across his skin. Images of Natsu with bared teeth and dragon scales appeared in his mind and he shuddered. He wasn't about to repeat that fight.

Another blast of dark magic shattered Freed's barrier, knocking them back into the tent. Gray quickly stepped in front of them as his devil slayer magic started to take over, spreading a bone-deep chill through his body.

"Go!" he shouted, shoving Freed back toward the dragons. Before they could argue, Gray dropped to his knees and pressed his hand to the ground, satisfied when a wall of ice sprang up behind him. He could hear Natsu and the others whining in confusion and his heart ached as he ignored the sounds and stepped forward.

"Don't worry," the woman in front said as she stepped forward. "We're not after them. They aren't much a threat like that anyways." Her laugh was grating.

"You did this to them," Gray growled, pushing himself to his feet. "It was all just to get to me? What do you even want with this?" He held out the arm that was patterned with black, showing them the scar. "You already tried to cut it out, what more do you—"

Before he could finish his sentence, the woman disappeared. Gray blinked, then cursed as he felt a sharp pain in the side of his neck. When he tried to reach up and touch it, he couldn't move his arm.

The last thing Gray saw before everything disappeared was the woman's grinning face, and a set of glowing red eyes.


	10. a daring rescue

Freed tore through the forest, slashing away branches and leaping over logs as they moved deeper and deeper into the underbrush. Rogue and Natsu, who Freed had hastily tucked into their pockets, whined in confusion, and desperately tried to climb out. Sting squirmed in Freed's grip, kicking at their arms and making soft, distressed sounds that increased in volume the further they got from Gray.

"It's not safe," Freed panted, keeping an eye on Laxus, who had barely figured out flying and was hovering awkwardly just ahead. Freed ducked around a large tree as they held Sting tighter against themself, heart pounding as they listened for sounds of being followed.

Laxus moved further away, then turned back to Freed and made a soft trilling sound. Freed could feel a slight tug in their stomach – the same feeling they got when Laxus asked them to trust him in battle. They nodded, kicking several dead branches out of the way as they followed him.

Eventually the undergrowth opened into a small clearing, walled in on three sides by high stone walls. Freed exhaled in relief. Holding Sting under one arm, they held their hand out and quickly scribbled some runes into the air, pulling up a barrier that kept them both enclosed and invisible.

"Thank you," Freed murmured as Laxus fluttered awkwardly down onto their shoulder, rubbing his face against their cheek and making a comforting sound. Sting squirmed out of Freed's grip and immediately ran for the wall, pawing at it and making distressed sounds. Natsu and Rogue quickly joined him, whining and digging at the ground, then turning back around to look at Freed accusingly.

"I'm sorry," Freed said, dropping down and leaning back against the stone wall. They ran their hands over their face, trying to catch their breath as their heart pounded in their chest. Sting scampered back over to them and hopped into their lap, standing on his hind legs and pressing his paws to their chest. "I'm sorry," Freed said again, stroking Sting's head as he chittered frantically. "We have to—I had to keep you safe. We're going to rescue him, I promise."

Natsu growled, headbutting the rune wall and scrabbling at it with his claws. He stood on his back feet, pressing both paws against the wall and staring out into the trees as if it would magically summon Gray.

"It's okay," Freed said as their breathing started to return to normal. Laxus made a comforting sound and cuddled closer to them, and Freed reached up to pet him as they continued to run their fingers comfortingly through Sting's fur. "We can find him," Freed reassured the dragons, reaching out and beckoning for the other two. Rogue slunk over reluctantly, but Natsu remained at the barrier, making soft whining sounds and pawing at it.

Freed unbuttoned their jacket and dug around in the inside pockets, eventually pulling out their communication lacrima and wiping the screen clean. They swiped their thumb across it to power it up, sighing in relief when they saw that it was still connected.

"Freed?" Levy's voice came through, muddled by static but clearly there. "Are you all right?"

"Gray's in trouble," Freed said, tipping their head back against the wall. "We need to find him. Warren – his magic radar – does it still work? Can he find someone this far away?"

"It should work." Freed winced at the way the sound warbled, and they were barely able to make out her next words. "I'll-him, bu-take some t-call you back?"

"Yes," Freed said, sighing and sending out a desperate plea to the universe. "Yes, I'll wait for your call."

* * *

The sound of people arguing dragged Gray from unconsciousness. He blinked slowly awake, wincing at the throbbing in his temples.

"We need to do it soon," a voice said. It echoed, as if coming from far away, and Gray shook his head to try and clear his blurry vision and figure out where he was. The ground underneath him was jagged and uncomfortable, and when he pushed himself up, he felt cool rock beneath his fingertips. Gray stumbled to his feet, swaying and steadying himself against the wall. A faint green light shimmered nearby, and it took him a second to realize that it was some sort of moss, bioluminescent and lending a faint green light to the darkness of the room.

"He'll wake up soon," another voice said. It was deep and lightly accented, and Gray immediately recognized it as the man who had hunted them down last month – Siedge. A chill ran through Gray and he rubbed at the scar on his wrist.

The first voice sounded closer as it replied, "He should be out for a few more hours – the sleep magic is strong."

"He's stronger."

The voices were now joined by footsteps and the sound of something jingling. Gray's vision slowly adjusted to the dim light of the room, and he could just make out the shape of a door across from him. He stumbled over and pressed himself to the wall behind it, taking slow, even breaths and trying to push away the nausea that blurred his vision.

"Just bring him to the room," Siedge said, and then there was the sound of keys in a lock as the door started to swing open. Gray curled his hands into fists, ready to summon his magic, and he was so surprised when it didn't respond that he was taken aback by someone reaching out and grabbing his arm.

"Lemme… stop it," he mumbled, bringing his hands up and scrabbling weakly at the person's grip. His tongue felt thick in his mouth, and the place inside him where his magic usually lived was like a void.

"Come with me," the person said, dragging Gray forward and into the hallway. They were tall and beautiful in a cold, frightening way, and the Vengeance Soul guild mark took up half of their face.

"Where…" Gray tripped over his own feet, nearly falling into the mage.

"I told you." Siedge's deep voice was accompanied by a large, terrifyingly familiar man with long blond hair pulled into a braid. He grinned at Gray, showing off sharp teeth. "He's strong." He grabbed Gray's chin, tipping his head up. Gray growled weakly and tried to struggle against the grip, but everything in his body felt like it was being pulled down into the earth.

"Fuck you," he spat. "You almost killed Sting."

Siedge laughed. "You escaped me last time, I have to give you credit for that," he said, letting go of Gray and reaching up to touch the scar on his own neck from Natsu's flames. "But you don't have your dragon slayers to save you this time. They're not quite as ferocious now, are they?" Gray glared at him. "I'll admit, when Laka here suggested the spell, I didn't think much of it, but it's been surprisingly effective. And in your haste to discover its origin, you walked right into my trap."

Laka tugged Gray backward by his arm and he stumbled after them, nearly tripping and falling to his knees. Whatever they'd used to put him to sleep still made everything hazy – and apparently blocked his access to his magic. The empty feeling in his chest expanded as he tried to awaken it again.

"Don't bother," Laka said, shaking their head. "Nobody can lift those runes except me."

Gray frowned, then looked down at his chest. A mark was etched just over his heart – an unfamiliar rune that looked like it had been burned into his skin. It didn't hurt, but he could feel the magic emanating from it.

The haze and confusion slowly receded as they made their way down a long, dark hallway – Laka in front, pulling Gray along by his bicep, and Siedge following behind. By the time they arrived at their destination, Gray's head felt clearer and he was strong enough to walk without stumbling.

"Get him set up," Siedge said, pointing to a chair in the center of the room. Magic bonding runes glowed around the arms and legs and Gray's heart jumped as Laka shoved him toward it. He pulled weakly away from them, but the little strength that had returned to him wasn't enough to break their grip on his arm.

"Why?" he asked as Laka shoved him down into the chair. "This is stupid. You can't just take someone else's magic."

"Actually," Siedge said, moving away from the chair and picking up a book from the desk along one wall, "I can." The cover of the book shimmered faintly, and it took Gray a minute to realize that it was patterned exactly like the devil slayer marks. The faint hum of fear that had been coursing through him since he woke up solidified and he tugged harder against the restraints.

"Where did you get that?" he demanded, swallowing against the nausea that was starting to rise in his throat. The pattern on the book shifted in a sharp, uncomfortable way that made Gray's vision blur. It was wrong – deeply, horribly wrong – and he couldn't breathe.

"Irrelevant," Siedge said, flipping the book open. A sharp flash of pain spiked through Gray's temples and he groaned, squeezing his eyes shut. The ache quickly spread, racing down his nerves until the marks on his arms felt like they were on fire. It hurt worse than any burn Natsu had accidentally given him – the searing pain was bone-deep, eating him up from the inside, clawing its way out of him and taking the magic with it.

"S-stop," he managed, shuddering and trying desperately to slip his wrists free of the bindings. He couldn't feel his hands. Someone was talking, and then something touched Gray's forehead, and he was sure he was going to die, and then—

—then the pain stopped abruptly as something exploded.

Gray gasped as the devil-slaying magic returned to him, searing across his skin and slamming into his chest so hard that he could barely breathe. Siedge stumbled forward, cursing and dropping the book face-down on the stone floor.

"Gray!" Freed's voice quickly followed the explosion, and Gray looked up to see them standing in the ruins of the wall with runes sketched in the air around them. Their right eye glowed purple, swirling with magic that made Gray's markings pulse and ache.

"Freed, don't—"

"I thought you said your barriers were impenetrable!" Siedge growled, whirling around to look at Laka. They were staring at Freed, who glared right back, rapier moving quickly in front of them to create more runes in the air.

"They should be," Laka said, stepping forward and waving their hand in an attempt to dismiss Freed's magic. Nothing happened, and before Laka could write any more runes, a burst of lighting sparked through the air and singed off a lock of their hair.

"What the—"

A flash of gold was the only thing Gray saw before Laka shouted in pain and started flailing, trying desperately to remove an angry Laxus, who was clinging to their arm and had his teeth sunk into their neck. Siedge moved to help Laka but was quickly stopped by a burst of fire that raced across the ground and hit him in the shins.

"Natsu," Gray gasped as the tiny red dragon appeared between Freed's legs, snarling at Siedge before darting across the floor. He scrambled up onto Gray's lap and immediately started chittering as he pawed at the magic restraints. "Get out of here," Gray hissed, tugging at the bonds again. "You're gonna get hurt." Natsu growled in disagreement and bit at the magic, hissing when it started to spark.

The ache from earlier still tingled under Gray's skin, but it was quickly being overwhelmed by a protective fear for the dragons. He could see the other two out of the corner of his eye – a dart of black and a flash of white that came at Siedge from both sides.

"He's too strong," Gray said, trying to shift his legs so Natsu would jump down. Natsu glowered at him and clung to him stubbornly, digging in his claws. "Please, I can't watch any of you get hurt again."

A cry of pain filled the room as Laka fell to their knees, bleeding heavily from their neck. Laxus scrambled backward, spreading his wings and growling at them as electricity crackled around him. Siedge moved toward him but was blocked by a blast of magic that swirled together in black and white, hitting him in the chest hard enough to knock him onto his back. As soon as he hit the ground, Freed was standing over him, rapier pointed at his throat.

"Don't," Freed said as the tip of the sword moved quickly, creating a rune that hung over Siedge's chest. He snarled at Freed, struggling against the magic that appeared to have paralyzed him. Sting and Rogue, who had been sitting near the door, scampered over to Siedge and growled at him, both of them humming with magic power.

"Are you all right?" Freed asked, glancing over at Gray as Sting clambered onto Siedge's chest and bared his teeth. Laxus growled at Laka, who was still holding their wounded neck and glaring at Freed.

"Fine," Gray said, exhaling in relief. "Just..." He nodded down at the bonds around his wrists that Natsu was still attempting to chew through. Freed made a quick gesture and the bindings dissolved, immediately lifting the pressure on Gray's wrists and ankles. Another flick of Freed's wrist dismissed the rune on Gray's chest, and he exhaled in relief as the familiar cool sensation of his ice magic tingled across his skin.

"Thanks." Natsu made a soft chirping sound and scrambled up onto Gray's shoulder, rubbing his face against Gray's cheek and purring happily. "I'm okay," Gray murmured, kissing the top of Natsu's head and pushing himself unsteadily to his feet. Frost covered up the devil slayer marks that quickly started to spread across his body, reacting to the heady demonic magic that emanated from Freed.

"You have to stop." He squeezed his hands into fists as the magic tried to pull him forward, whispering, _destroy it, destroy them, destroy the demon. _"I can't control it," he gasped, trying to step away. Natsu made a concerned sound and nipped at his ear, and Gray tried to focus on that instead of the angry insistence of his magic.

Then Freed's magic shifted, and their eye returned to its natural blue. The tense pulse of the magic in Gray's arms quickly disappeared, and he fell to his knees, suddenly exhausted.

"Don't even think about it," Freed said, turning their gaze to Laka, who had lifted their hand into the air. Laxus snarled at them and darted forward, teeth bared and ready to pounce. Freed gave Laka one more disdainful look, then drew a quick rune and flicked it toward them. They fell unconscious almost instantly, slumping backward onto the floor. Siedge followed quickly afterward. Sting, who was still sitting on his chest, growled at him once last time, then looked over at Gray.

"C'mere," Gray said, holding out his arms. Sting immediately darted over, followed closely by Rogue, and they stood on their hind legs, pressing their paws against his chest. Their distressed sounds quickly turned to affectionate purrs as Gray petted them. "I'm okay," he reassured them, feeling the warm, familiar sense of calm flood through him at their presence. "It's okay."

Sting whined and wriggled up onto Gray's other shoulder, anxiously nuzzling his hair, while Rogue clambered into Gray's arms and continued purring so hard he was nearly vibrating. Gray sighed in relief, holding the three of them close.

"Thank you," he said again to Freed, who was holding a smug-looking Laxus, still crackling with electricity. "He was—they were after the magic. Again." Gray gestured to the book, which was still face-down on the ground where Siedge had dropped it. Looking at the marks on it made Gray feel nauseous again and he quickly looked away.

"I'll take that," Freed said. They leaned down and grabbed the book, studying it for a moment before sliding it into their jacket. "I'll call the Council," they said, pulling the lacrima out of their pocket. "It's time to put these two away where they belong."


	11. familiar faces

It didn't take long for the Magic Council to show up and take the unconscious Siedge and Laka into custody. The dragons paced and growled the whole time, and when everyone was finally gone, all four of them immediately scattered and began exploring the room.

"Don't go too far!" Gray called as Natsu scrambled up onto the table where the strange book had been sitting. Natsu gave him an unimpressed look, then turned around and began chewing on something. Gray sighed. "You'd better not get yourself turned into something else," he muttered. Then he turned back to Freed, who was sitting cross-legged on the floor with the book on their lap. The symbols on the cover weren't moving anymore, but it still filled Gray with a strange sense of unease.

"Are you controlling that?" Freed asked. Gray frowned, then looked down at his arms and realized that his devil slayer magic had reappeared and was shifting across his skin. It didn't hurt this time, but he still felt a faint thread of nausea making its way up his throat.

"No." He focused on the magic, trying to pull it back, but all he succeeded in doing was spreading ice out under the ground and toward Freed. "What the hell," he whispered. The dizziness from earlier caught up with him and he swayed unsteadily, grabbing the chair next to him for balance.

"Come sit down," Freed said, setting the book next to them and covering it with their coat. They reached out and helped Gray settle on the ground next to them, and he breathed a sigh of relief when the marks faded. Sting, who appeared to have finished his inspection of the room, ran back over and hopped into Gray's lap. He stood up on his hind legs, rubbing his face against Gray's cheek and making a worried sound.

"I'm all right," Gray reassured him, stroking the soft fur behind Sting's ears. As he petted Sting, he noticed the red, blistered marks that circled his wrists, identical to the patterns of the magic bindings on the chair. "He tried to take it – again."

Freed's brow furrowed as they reached out and took Gray's arm, studying the blisters. "Why, though?" they murmured as they drew a quick rune over Gray's skin. The burns stayed where they were, but the pain receded a little, and Gray sighed in relief.

"Who knows?" he said bitterly, holding out his other wrist for the same rune. "I almost wish they _would _take it. I didn't ask for it and I don't know how to use it, and—"

Gray swallowed hard, caught off guard by the sudden urge to cry. "I—" He shook his head, trying to push back the lump in his throat and the heat in his cheeks. "I didn't—"

Then Natsu returned, crawling up onto Gray's knee and making a distressed sound, and Gray burst into tears.

"I'm sorry," he managed, covering his face with both hands. "I didn't mean to. I'm sorry."

"Gray," Freed said gently, moving over and wrapping their arm around him. "What are you apologizing for?"

"I didn't mean to—I couldn't—it didn't—"

Natsu hopped up onto Gray's shoulder and rubbed his face against the side of Gray's head, whining softly at him. Sting kept kneading the front of his shirt, headbutting Gray's chin and blinking in surprise when several tears landed on his head.

"I don't understand," Freed said as they ran their thumb across Gray's shoulder.

"I h-hurt Natsu," Gray whispered, rubbing at his face. It didn't make a difference – the tears kept falling, pushing through his fingers and running down his cheeks. He hadn't cried like this in years, not since he was eight and had screamed and cried at Ur for taking him away from his dead mother.

"I'm not sure what you mean," Freed said as Natsu chittered in Gray's ear, nipping at him and rubbing his head against Gray again.

"When—during the f-fight, and he was END, and I—it wasn't his fault and I couldn't stop myself, it was… the magic took over and I couldn't d-do anything, it was like I was watching myself and I hurt him, the magic wanted me to, it wanted me to _kill _him." The last words turned into a broken sob and Gray let Freed pull him closer.

"I'm sorry," they said softly. "I didn't know."

"It was only Erza, she… she stopped us, we were—I could have killed him. The magic, it wanted him gone and it was so angry, and I couldn't control it." He wiped at his face again and whispered, "I hate it. All it does is hurt people. It nearly got Sting killed and everybody said it wasn't my fault, but it was, and I don't want this magic. I don't want it and I wish they'd fucking taken it. You should have let them."

"Gray." Freed shook their head, but Gray interrupted them.

"I could have hurt you too, when you—" Gray gestured at Freed's eye. "It wanted me to. I c-care about you and love you, and I love Natsu, and it still wanted me to h-hurt you."

Natsu nipped at Gray's ear again, hard enough to sting and pull his attention away from his pain. Gray held out a hand and Natsu clambered into it, then rubbed his face against Gray's, pushing away the tears as he started to purr. It felt like an apology, like forgiveness, and Gray didn't know what to do with it.

"I love you," he said softly, kissing the top of Natsu's head. "I'm sorry."

He felt a gentle wave wash over him, pushing away the ache in his chest and replacing it with warmth. When he looked down, both Sting and Rogue were curled up in his lap, and even Laxus had clambered up on Freed's shoulder between the two of them and was nudging Gray's cheek.

"It wasn't your fault," Freed said. "You don't have anyone to teach you how to use this magic. The rest of us had a way to learn – books or mentors – but you don't have anything. Of course it's going to be scary trying to figure it out on your own. That doesn't make you a monster, though."

Gray sniffed, rubbing at his face as he shifted Natsu to the crook of his arm and held him against his chest. "I feel like one."

"So do I," Freed said gently. "I think we all do a little bit, sometimes. But you're not alone."

Rogue, Natsu and Sting all chittered in agreement, kneading Gray's pants and nuzzling him happily. Gray sighed, scratching Natsu's head and trying to let go of the anger and sadness that made him feel sick.

"Thanks," he said after a minute, bumping his head against Freed's, then sitting up and wiping his face. "Sorry, I don't—"

"No apologies," Freed said. _"Ivjurnauti, _remember?"

Gray managed a smile, then hissed in pain and surprise as Natsu dug his claws into Gray's arm and launched himself down across the floor.

"What the hell?" Gray muttered, wincing at the tiny pinpricks of blood that had appeared from Natsu's sharp claws. "What's wrong?"

Sting and Rogue watched, heads cocked, as Natsu skittered across the floor to the other side of the room, then scaled a small bookcase that was leaning against the wall. He grabbed something in his teeth and turned back around, wriggling for a moment and judging the distance before leaping back down the floor.

"What's this?" Gray asked as Natsu returned to them, dragging a sheet of parchment behind him. Words were written on it in Isvanian, just like the scroll that had cast the original transformation spell, and it had the Vengeance Soul guild mark in the same place.

"I'm not sure," Freed said, holding out their hand. Natsu wagged his tail happily, relinquishing his grip on the paper that now had several tiny holes along the top. He gave Freed a satisfied look and purred when they scratched behind his ears. Freed studied the paper, then reached into their inner coat pocket and pulled out the original parchment. They lay both of them down on the stone floor, staring at them with a furrowed brow.

"They look pretty similar," Gray said, tipping his head to try and read them. The writing still eluded him – he recognized a letter here and there, but the rest of it might has well have been gibberish. "Is it another spell?"

"Mm." Freed ran their fingers down both parchments, muttering under their breath as they compared the markings. "It could be a way to reverse the spell. It could also be something completely different that might explode in our faces, it's impossible to tell without being able to read it." They sighed in frustration.

Laxus hopped down from Freed's shoulder and sniffed the parchment curiously, but was quickly distracted when Rogue, who had disappeared from Gray's lap, popped out of the shadows behind him. Rogue tackled Laxus, making a pleased sound when Laxus tumbled onto his back. They immediately started to play, trying their best to bite each other while kicking with their back feet.

"You're ridiculous," Freed said, rolling their eyes as they rolled up both parchments and tucked them back into their pocket. "And certainly not helping."

Gray laughed as Sting stumbled out of his lap and darted over toward Rogue and Laxus, nipping at both of them and then yelping when Natsu sprung at him from behind. Sting growled playfully, biting at Natsu's feet and batting at his head.

"We should head back to the guild," Freed said, amusement on their face as they watched the mock battle. "I can work on the translation again. I'm sure the setback from last time was some nuance in the language that I missed."

Gray looked at Freed contemplatively, then sat up straighter as an idea came to him. "Why don't we try to find the village instead?" he suggested. "Maybe someone from there can help us. A native speaker would help more than a book, right?"

Freed's face lit up at the suggestion. "Yes, tremendously." They pushed themself up and dusted off their pants, then helped Gray up. "Maybe someone there would know about this as well," they said, scooping up both their jacket and the book underneath.

Gray looked away, still uneasy at the idea of being anywhere near the book and its strange magic. Exhaustion washed over him, but he pushed it aside, looking at the hole in the wall and considering their options.

"I'm not sure where we are," he said.

"Just north of our last camp," Freed says. They held out their hand and a set of runes coalesced in the air in front of them, quickly forming into something like a map. "There was another road heading this way—" they pointed to a spot east of them "—so that might be our best bet."

Gray nodded, then turned back to the dragons. Laxus was sitting on Sting now, who was growling at him and flicking his tail back and forth. Rogue and Natsu circled the pair, wriggling in excitement before Natsu launched himself forward, knocking Laxus to the ground and tackling Rogue at the same time.

"Come on," Gray said, making a soft kissing sound that immediately got all of the dragons' attention. "You can fight later, it's time to go."

* * *

It was late afternoon and the snow had stopped falling, but there was a chill breeze that followed them down the hill away from the desolate guild hall. The sun shone faintly in a pale blue sky, providing no warmth. Natsu stayed curled up under Gray's jacket, making grumbling noises every so often, while Rogue sat perched on Gray's shoulder. Sting, on the other hand, bounded happily through the powdered snow, burrowing underneath, and then popping up a few feet away to leap into the air and dive back down again.

Freed was quiet as they walked, and Gray was grateful for the silence. There was too much going on in his mind and his heart – too many feelings and memories. His thoughts skipped back and forth in a confusing mess, making it hard to pick apart the threads of grief.

One thought was of his mother, blood staining her parka as she told Gray to run. Another was of Natsu's wild, demon eyes, waiting for Gray to kill him. There was Sting, gasping for air as Natsu cauterized the wound on his stomach, and Siedge's dark eyes, and all the while the pattern of the demon marks, twisting and shifting in the background.

Night had almost fallen by the time Gray saw a wisp of smoke over the next hill.

"C'mon," he said, reaching down for Sting, who had returned from his exploring to sit at Gray's feet. He happily clambered up Gray's arms and onto his shoulder, licking Gray's cheek before settling inside the hood of his parka. A rumbling purr started up almost immediately and Gray smiled, tipping his head against Sting.

"Does it look familiar?" Freed asked as they crested the hill.

Gray stopped, staring down at the village spread out before them. It was small and cozy, made of several log buildings and tents of animal skins stretched over wooden frames. Lights flickered in the windows of the homes, and in the center of the village was an enormous bonfire, spilling sparks into the night sky. Around it sat a handful of people, and several children ran between them, shouting and laughing as they played.

"Gray?" Freed's hand on Gray's arm shook him out of his daze and he blinked. "Are you all right?"

"It's… that's it," he said quietly. Memory after memory flooded back to him – riding in the dog sled, bundled against the cold as they headed to see his grandparents – ataa and anaa. Sometimes his father would let him hold the reins to the sled, helping him guide the dogs through the snow, and other times he would curl up in the back with his mother, warm and safe as the wind howled.

"I thought it was destroyed—I thought… Deliora…"

Sting made a concerned sound and rubbed his head against Gray's cheek.

"I never came back," Gray whispered. "Why didn't I… I could have come back, I could have…" He shook his head and let out a shaky breath. "I barely remembered. Not until we got here, it was like… it was all blurry, I never thought…"

"There were lots of memories up here that you wanted to forget," Freed said gently. "It's not your fault."

Gray nodded, then took a deep breath and a step forward. "It's getting dark," he said, forcing himself forward into uncertainty. "Let's go."

The walk down the hill felt like it took hours, each step full of regret and anxious fear. All three dragons clambered up into Gray's hood as if sensing his uncertainty, and their soft purring and quiet chirps helped calm the storm in his chest.

As soon as they got close, a howling filled the air, and a large, wolf-like dog bounded out from behind one of the tents and charged at them. The dragons all immediately hissed, burrowing further into the warmth of Gray's hood.

"It's okay," Gray reassured them as the dog approached, wagging its tail, and panting at him. It looked more wolf than dog, and it stared at Gray with one ear cocked forward before letting out a low _woof. _

"Qinmiq!" A man's voice called out and the dog turned around, barking again. _"Ata! Qaijuq!" _The dog whined and started to trot back toward the village, and Freed and Gray followed cautiously. A man stood outside the tent nearest them, dressed in a thick fur parka with the hood up to protect against the cold. When he saw them, he waved._"Mamianaq," _he called, gesturing for them to come forward. _"Humiutauvin?" _

Gray frowned as he tried to remember what the words meant, then froze when the man pulled back his hood. He was old – probably in his seventies – with long, dark hair and bright eyes set into weathered brown skin. As he studied Gray, the friendly smile on his face quickly transformed to surprise, then disbelief.

"Gray?" he whispered, stepping forward and grabbing Gray's face with both mittened hands. Gray couldn't do anything but stare up into the eyes that were so, so familiar – eyes that looked just like his.

_"Ataa?"_

* * *

_a/n:  
ataa = grampa_  
_anaa = gramma_


End file.
